China’s Xi calls for step up of global effort in AI, as US curbs squeeze China’s tech access

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he arrives at the opening ceremony for the World AI Conference in Shanghai, Friday, July 17, 2026.

American-led restrictions have blocked China from accessing some of the world’s most advanced technologies, spurring China’s efforts to build its own know-how and intensifying the tech race between the world’s two biggest economies.

(Image credit: Ng Han Guan)