Amman, 24 June 2024

Your Excellency Professor Dr. Amr Salama, Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities,

Your Excellency Professor Yan Chunhua,Vice President of China Association of Higher Education and Member of CAS,

Your Excellency Professor Adnan Badran,former Prime Minister of Jordan,

Dear University Presidents,

Ladies, gentlemen and friends,

Good morning.

It is a great pleasure to attend the First International Conference of Universities and Artificial Intelligence Technology. On behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, I extend our warm congratulations to the opening of the Conference.  

As the development of AI gathers pace, it brings profound changes to human society. AI, as a strategic technology spearheading a new wave of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, offers great benefits to economic development and people’s lives. However, it also represents many risks and challenges, both predictable and unforeseen. Leading scientists and strategists such as Stephen Hawking and Henry Kissinger have expressed concerns over the potential risks of AI.

When novel things emerge, they always attract supporters, opponents and those with a wait-and-see approach. From a rational and objective perspective, AI, in the final analysis, is created by humans. Therefore its future depends on the collective will of humanity, not the will of machines. Its trajectory is determined by our collective actions, not just technological factors. As the opportunities, risks and challenges brought by AI is global in nature, they call for enhanced international cooperation, broad consensus and coordinated action.

As a leading country in AI technology, China has always actively participated in global AI governance with a strong sense of responsibility. In October 2023, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Artificial Intelligence Governance Initiative. This initiative advocates balancing security and development, and developing an open, fair and effective AI global governance structure, related norms and standards based on broad consensus, so as to make AI technology more secure, reliable, controllable, and equitable.

The initiative highlights three “ensures”,ensuring benefits,ensuring security and ensuring equality. This means that AI development must comply with ethical norms and international law, remain under human control, and provide equitable participation and benefits to all countries.   

China stands for a “people-centered and AI-for-good ” approach, so that AI develops in a way that is beneficial to human civilization. We should harness AI for achieving sustainable development and tackling global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity conservation. We must prevent AI from being misused or abused by terrorists, extremists and transnational organized criminal groups. Countries should exercise restraint in developing AI weapon systems. We oppose using AI to wage wars.

China stands for mutual respect, mutual benefit and equality. All countries have equal rights to develop and use AI technology, joining our hands for the healthy progress of AI and share knowledge. We oppose drawing ideological lines or forming exclusive groups to obstruct the AI development of other countries. We also oppose using AI advantages to manipulate public opinion, spread misinformation, interfere in the internal affairs, and jeopardize the sovereignty of other countries.

China Stands for putting ethics first and adhering to the principles of equality and non-discrimination. We should uphold humanity’s common values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom. Ethical principles, norms, and accountability mechanisms for AI must be established, fully respecting and safeguarding legitimate rights of all groups. In AI development and application, we must avoid biases and discrimination based on ethnicity, beliefs, nationality, and other factors.

China stands for greater representation and a stronger voice for developing countries in AI global governance. We support international cooperation with and assistance for developing countries to bridge the AI capacity gap. Recently, China submitted to the UN General Assembly a draft resolution on enhancing international cooperation in AI capacity-building, aiming to help developing countries to gain equal access to the benefits of AI development.

China’s propositions have received broad international endorsement and support. In my conversations with Jordanian friends from all quarters, I have felt a strong common ground and enthusiasm for cooperation between China and Jordan, and between China and Arab states.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

At the recent 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, President Xi Jinping proposed five cooperation frameworks for China and Arab states, the first of which being a more dynamic framework for innovation. President Xi stated that China will enhance cooperation on AI with Arab states to empower the real economy and promote a broad-based global governance structure on AI, and build joint laboratories. His remarks have charted the course and identified key areas for our cooperation.

As universities are vital breeding grounds for both talents and scientific and technological progress, cooperation on AI development is integral to collaborative efforts between Chinese and Arab universities. In recent years, higher education cooperation between China and Arab countries including Jordan has produced fruitful outcomes. Today’s conference on AI under the framework of China-Arab Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism, is cutting edge and timely.

I look forward to fruitful discussions and insights that will emerge from the conference,which will energize our cooperation on AI and higher education. We hope AI will empower the development of China and Arab states, paving the way for a China-Arab community with a shared future.

Finally, I wish the conference a complete success.

Thank you.