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Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council Zhang Guoqing will travel to France from Sunday to Wednesday for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit at the invitation of the host, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry. 

The third edition of the AI summit takes place after China's DeepSeek shook up the global AI industry with innovation, and the Grand Palais in Paris is set to gather heads of state and government, leaders of international organizations, CEOs of small and large companies, representatives of academia, non-governmental organizations, artists and members of civil society from nearly 100 nations to discuss the safe development of AI, according to media reports and the organizers' official website.

China is participating in this AI summit to gain insights into international approaches to AI development, including measures to promote growth and enhance security frameworks. At the same time, China aims to share its own experiences and contribute to global cooperation in this field, Xue Lan, Director of Institute for AI International Governance of the Tsinghua University, who is now in Paris to attend the AI summit, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Since the release of its roll-out of AI development plan in 2017, China has made rapid progress in AI development and applications, accumulating extensive experience in both growth and governance. As a responsible major country, China is committed to sharing its insights and fostering global AI governance. The rise of DeepSeek has also demonstrated an innovative path for AI development, breaking the monopoly of a few large companies in certain countries. This development further enhances China's role at the summit, Xue hailed. 

The BBC said in a recent report that "with China dramatically blowing the AI competition in a new direction with DeepSeek, its super-efficient and super-viral AI assistant, suddenly there's a feeling ahead of the summit that the pole position occupied by the US AI sector, despite its vast wealth and AI infrastructure, might not be quite so out-of-reach after all."

Gina Neff, from the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge, was quoted in the BBC report as saying that there is currently "a vacuum for global leadership on AI." Dame Wendy Hall, from Southampton University, agrees. "DeepSeek made everybody realize that China is a force to be reckoned with," says the computer scientist. "We don't have to just go along with what the big companies on the West Coast are saying. We need global dialogue," the professor said.

The US is sending Vice President JD Vance, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, and Google's Sundar Pichai to attend the event, according to the BBC, which described "as some serious firepower as a defensive signal of its own." 

India PM Narendra Modi has also confirmed his attendance at this summit - having not come to previous gatherings. Elon Musk is notably absent from the official guest list, but he will undoubtedly have something to say about it all, whether he's there in person or not, the BBC report said. 

DeepSeek's success has reduced financial barriers for global AI participation and promoted a more level playing field through technological advancements. This aligns with the international community's expectations for inclusive AI development and governance, Xue said.   

Right ahead of the AI summit in Paris, US President Donald Trump stated on February 7 US local time that he does not perceive DeepSeek as a threat to national security, according to a video footage by the Forbes Breaking New. 

In the video, when asked "whether he believes DeepSeek poses a threat to national security," Trump responded to reporters that day, "No." "This is a developing technology… In fact, I think - I think we will benefit from it." He added, "The AI we are talking about will be much cheaper than people initially thought. This is a good thing. I think this is a very good development, not a bad one."

US efforts to curb China's AI industry have fallen short of expectations. China has consistently advocated for strengthened international cooperation to address global challenges together, and this position is now even more compelling in the current global landscape, Xue said. 

Zhang Linghan, from China University of Political Science and Law and also a Chinese expert of the High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, who is also attending the summit in Paris, highlighted that the rise of DeepSeek embodies the principles outlined in China's Global AI Governance Initiative, which emphasizes that technology should be "human-centered" and "promote the shared benefits of technological advancements worldwide."

AI competition is not a zero-sum game, and restrictions and isolation hinder progress for technological progress. Collaboration and open knowledge exchange are key to ensuring AI serves humanity's best interests, Zhang Linghan said.  

On February 11, China will host a side event titled "Progress in AI Technology and its Application," focusing on China's advancements in AI development, governance strategies, and vision for international cooperation. The event aims to strengthen exchanges with global AI experts and share China's progress in AI development and regulation, according to Xue, who will participate in the side event as guest speaker.  


Broader platform 

Safety commitments dominated the conversation in prior global AI summits in England's Bletchley Park and Seoul. In Paris, creating new regulation is not on the agenda, according to Reuters.

Main themes of the AI Action Summit this year covers Public interest AI, Future of work, Innovation and Culture, Trust in AI and Global AI governance, according to the official website for the summit.

This is the third AI Safety Summit, following the second summit in South Korea and the first in the UK. Building upon the previous focus on security, this summit expands discussions further, providing a broader platform for countries worldwide to engage in AI competition, development, and governance, Xue told the Global Times. 

According to the Reuters on February 5, France, eager to promote its national industry, is hosting the AI Action Summit alongside India on February 10 and 11, with a focus on areas where Europe's second-largest economy has an advantage: freely available or "open-source" systems, and clean energy to power data centers.

Mitigating labor disruption and promoting sovereignty in a global AI market are also on the agenda, Reuters said in the report.

The report also disclosed that a non-binding communiqué of principles for the stewardship of AI, bearing US, Chinese and other signatures, has been under negotiation and would represent a significant milestone if finalized, citing the people involved in the summit as saying.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson briefed at a regular press conference on Friday that China is an active advocate and practitioner of AI global governance. In October 2023, President Xi put forward the Global Initiative for AI Governance, which proposed China's solution and contributed China's wisdom on this profound topic of our times. 

During President Xi's visit to France in May last year, China and France released a joint declaration on AI and global governance, which stated that China is willing to participate in the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit to be held by France in 2025. 

Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing attending the Summit as President Xi's special representative is a step to implement the common understandings between the two presidents, and to demonstrate China's responsible attitude as a major country in the field of AI and its commitment to advancing the development and security of AI, Lin said. 

Through this Summit, China looks forward to enhancing communication and exchanges with all sides, pooling consensus for cooperation and actively advancing the implementation of the UN Global Digital Compact. We also welcome countries around the world to participate in the 2025 World AI Conference in China, shape an AI global governance framework based on broad consensus and promote AI for good and for all, the spokesperson said. 

High-quality open-source technologies, such as DeepSeek, inspire scientific communities worldwide to learn from the best and strive for excellence. This not only fosters healthy competition in AI development but also enables Global South nations with relatively underdeveloped technology to freely access high-quality AI services, Zhang Linghan said.  

At the same time, the availability and accessibility of open-source AI technologies further highlight the need for global collaboration on AI safety and governance, urging the rapid establishment of a governance ecosystem that prevents downstream misuse and abuse of AI, she said.