18/7/2026

SATURDAY | JULY 18, 2026

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Xi pitches China as leader of new global AI order

Kim hosts senior Chinese official SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held talks with China’s fourth-highest-ranked official, Wang Huning, Korean Central News Agency reported yesterday, the latest in a series of high-level exchanges between Beijing and Pyongyang. The meeting in Pyongyang comes on the heels of President Xi Jinping’s visit to North Korea in June, the first in seven years, and reflects China’s efforts to reinforce its influence over its traditional ally amid North Korea’s deepening ties with Russia. The Chinese delegation led by Wang arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday, at the invitation of North Korea. Both Kim and Wang said they would work to implement the agreement reached between China and North Korea during Xi’s visit. Xi and Kim agreed to expand cooperation in politics, economy and culture as well as strategic communication through visits by high-level officials, KCNA said at the time. In his meeting with Kim, Wang said the two countries’ ruling parties should maintain close communication and exchanges to improve practical cooperation, according to Xinhua news agency. China stands ready to work with North Korea to advance bilateral relations to a higher level, Wang said in talks with Jo Yong Won, a top official of the Workers’ Party, according to Xinhua. Wang visited the city of Wonsan with Jo, Xinhua reported, without elaboration. The coastal city is home to a beach resort and a flagship project driven by Kim for promoting tourism, as well as being the site for North Korea’s missile tests. The Chinese delegation also visited a memorial site dedicated to Chinese soldiers who died in the Korean War, a Workers’ Party cadre training school and the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a mausoleum where the bodies of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il are preserved, KCNA said. – Reuters another, and inspections failed to substantiate the claims, their lawyers said. Some residents were in tears and hugged each other as the hearing concluded. Yip Ka-kui, 68, who lost his wife and home in the fire, wiped away tears as he spoke to reporters outside the venue, criticising the government’s “cold-blooded” closing submissions. He accused authorities of “shirking responsibility”. “Facing such a huge disaster, none of the government departments involved had learned their lesson. They don’t even think that they need to learn anything.” The complex housed more than 4,600 residents, 1,700 of them over the age of 65. Of those who died, 114 people, or about 70%, were aged 65 or older. Authorities have filed charges including manslaughter against seven individuals and two companies, and arrested 35 people. The investigative committee is expected to deliver its report to the government by September. – AFP

o Visionleaves out US

SHANGHAI: President Xi Jinping yesterday cast Beijing as the champion of a new global AI order, using China’s premier tech conference to promote open-source technology and challenge US influence over the rules governing the fast-moving sector. In a speech to the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, Xi urged countries to “seize the rare and historic opportunity” of open-source AI, and pledged to help developing nations build AI capabilities, warning against the emergence of “new historical injustices” from unequal access to the technology. The remarks amounted to Xi’s clearest articulation yet of China’s ambition to shape global AI governance, framing its open-source models as a global public good and positioning Beijing as an alternative to Washington at a pivotal moment in the race for technological leadership. Comparing AI’s significance to the invention of the steam engine and electricity, Xi outlined a vision in which China shares AI technology and expertise with countries across the Global South, while leading efforts to create standards governing the emerging technology. The speech pitched China’s AI coalition as a rival to the US-led “Pax Silica” initiative to secure AI and critical mineral supply chains, though Xi avoided naming Washington. His comments came as Chinese open-weight AI models are making rapid gains against proprietary systems from US companies. The Nov 26 fire at Wang Fuk Court was the world’s deadliest residential building blaze since 1980. It engulfed seven of the eight high rise blocks, which were covered in bamboo scaffolding, protective netting and foam boards for renovations. Almost all fire safety measures failed that day because of human errors, the judge-led panel heard over 30 sessions since March. The disaster “was preventable but not prevented, and foreseeable but not foreseen”, leading counsel for the committee Victor Dawes told the hearing yesterday. Former Wang Fuk Court residents attending the hearing wiped away tears as Dawes detailed the rapid spread of the fire. Evidence suggests the fire was likely caused by a lit cigarette that was improperly disposed of, he said.

A humanoid robot that cooks is displayed at Xi Xiang booth during the WAIC in Shanghai. – REUTERSPIC

American and African Union countries, Xi said, aligning China’s AI diplomacy initiatives with major Global South blocs where China already carries huge influence. “Xi’s message is clear: China is not going to follow anyone on both AI technology and standards. Instead, China is going to lead the world in both aspects,” said George Chen, Chair in Digital Practice at The Asia Group, a consultancy. “Xi’s message is a statement but can be also viewed as a warning – China will not let anyone tell China what to do with AI.” – Reuters

guard loss-of-control scenarios, warning of the dangers posed by autonomous AI systems that could evade human oversight and control. Xi said the World AI Cooperation Organisation (Waico), which signed up 29 member countries on Thursday, marked a “milestone in the history of AI development” and responded to demands from Global South nations for greater participation in AI governance. China will also provide AI training and develop AI cooperation centres with Brics, Asean, Latin against

Beijing-based startup Moonshot AI yesterday unveiled Kimi K3, which it described as the world’s largest open AI model by parameter count, a month after the US government abruptly pulled Anthropic’s frontier-class AI models due to security concerns. Xi also called for AI systems to remain under human control and urged countries to establish early warning and emergency-response mechanisms to manage AI risks, in his clearest remarks to date on AI safety. He further urged measures to

Hong Kong wraps up probe into ‘preventable’ deadly fire HONG KONG: A devastating fire that ripped through an apartment complex here last year and killed 168 people was “preventable”, lawyers told a committee investigating the blaze in closing statements yesterday. The fire alarm and hose systems had been switched off for the renovations, and foam boards placed over the windows, blocking residents’ view, the counsel’s submissions said. Contractors had “knowingly

created a massive fire risk” by using non-fire-retardant netting on the facade, according to the submissions. Contractors also failed to stop workers smoking or to properly dispose of combustible construction waste, and compromised the main escape route, the submissions added. The windows of staircases had been removed to let workers easily climb in and out of buildings, allowing smoke and fire to spread more rapidly. The government “must bear a certain responsibility” for failures in the system, Dawes told the hearing. “A disaster of this scale should not have occurred and should never occur again.” Government counsel Jenkin Suen acknowledged on Thursday “weaknesses” in the system but said it would be “prejudicial and unfair” to put all the blame on public authorities.

The devastating fire that ripped through Wang Fuk Court and killed 168 people was ‘preventable’, lawyers told a committee. – AFPFILEPIC

‘honour system’ dependent on ‘self regulation’ by contractors, effectively leaving them without oversight”. Residents had noticed problems, but their complaints were passed from one government department to

“The primary causes remained the deceit, inaction and deliberate omissions of private actors,” the government’s closing arguments said. However, Dawes’s team argued that the government had “created an