China's Xi pushes AI, 'Global South' role

Chinese President Xi Jinping used a visit to Shanghai on Tuesday to push for breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and underscore China’s leading role in the “Global South”.

- BRENDA GOH

Although Mr Xi did not reference the trade war started by US President Donald Trump during his visit, the implicit message was clear: China can develop its own leading technology and has alternative markets.

“It’s a show of strength,” said Alfred Wu, a China expert at National University of Singapore.

Mr Xi’s Shanghai trip, his first to China’s main international financial hub since November 2023, comes at a time when the tariff fight with the US has raised the stakes for global economic growth, and as Beijing pursues AI development in the wake of the global success of Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek.