(1:30 p.m., 20 April 2026, Room VIII, Palais des Nations)
Excellencies, dear Colleagues,
Good afternoon.
On behalf of the Permanent Mission of China to UNOG, I would like to thank the support of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Science and Technology（MOST）of China, thank the Administrative Centre for China’s Agenda 21 (AACA21) for sponsoring this side event on Artificial Intelligence for Regional Sustainable Development in the margins of the annual session of the CSTD. I would also like to thank Fudan University for organizing this event.
Today, AI is advancing at a rapid pace, profoundly shaping the course of economic and social development across countries, and bringing new opportunities and fresh impetus to the global development. More than a decade has passed since the adoption of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, yet implementation as a whole still lags behind, and much remains to be done to advance global development. Against this backdrop, it is of great practical importance for us to explore in depth how to unlock the potential of AI to promote inclusive, coordinated and sustainable regional development. I would like to take this opportunity to share four key words.
First, development. Artificial intelligence is a major driving force behind a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. It also offers new pathways and tools for advancing sustainable development. AI holds enormous promise in areas such as energy transition, modern agriculture, healthcare, education access, ecological conservation, and disaster early warning. The international community should stay development-oriented, fully unleash the potential of AI, and ensure that scientific and technological innovation better serves economic and social development and delivers greater benefits to people across the world.
Second, inclusiveness. At present, global AI development remains highly uneven. Many developing countries still face acute challenges in infrastructure, computing capacity, data, talent, and technological capabilities. If these issues are not effectively addressed, the digital divide, the intelligence divide, and the development gap may all widen further. We should uphold the principles of equity and inclusiveness, place greater emphasis on capacity-building, and help developing countries truly access, apply and benefit from AI, so as to ensure that the dividends of AI are shared by all.
Third, cooperation. In the age of intelligence, only through solidarity and cooperation can we better seize opportunities and respond to challenges. China’s recently released 15th Five-Year Plan proposes the full implementation of the “AI Plus” initiative, the comprehensive empowerment of all sectors through digital and intelligent technologies, the expansion of international cooperation in digital and intelligent fields, and stronger support for the Global South in building AI capacity. China has also carried out active exploration in leveraging AI for sustainable development. We have established 11 national innovation demonstration zones for implementing the 2030 Agenda, and have accumulated useful experience in such areas as smart energy, precision agriculture, environmental monitoring, and disaster early warning. China stands ready to strengthen policy communication, experience-sharing and capacity-building cooperation with all parties, and work together to enable AI to better serve regional and global development.
Fourth, governance. The more rapidly AI develops, the more urgently governance is needed. In recent years, China has successively issued the Global AI Governance Initiative, the AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All, and the Global AI Governance Action Plan, among other documents. China advocates a people-centered approach and AI for good, and calls for balancing development and security while promoting a broadly accepted governance framework, standards and norms for AI. All parties should build consensus through dialogue and cooperation, foster an open, just and effective governance architecture, ensure that AI technologies benefit humanity, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for humanity.
Dear colleagues,
Today’s event provides a useful platform for enhancing exchanges, deepening understanding, and building consensus. China stands ready to work with all parties to create an inclusive, open, sustainable, equitable, safe and reliable digital and intelligent future for all, and to make new and greater contributions to the accelerated implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Thank you.