China's Premier Li proposes global AI cooperation organisation
FILE PHOTO: China's Premier Li Qiang, delivers his speech at the ASEAN - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - China Economic Forum official dinner on the sidelines of the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Vincent Thian/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
SHANGHAI - Chinese Premier Li Qiang proposed on Saturday establishing a world artificial intelligence cooperation organisation, calling on countries to coordinate development and security of the fast-evolving technology.
Speaking at the opening of the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Li called AI a new engine for growth but said governance is fragmented and emphasised the need to step up coordination between countries to form a globally recognised framework for AI.
The three-day event brings together industry leaders and policymakers at a time of escalating technological competition between China and the U.S., with AI emerging as a key battleground between the world's two largest economies.
Washington has imposed export restrictions on advanced technology to China, including AI chips and chipmaking equipment, citing concerns the technology could enhance China's military capabilities.
Despite these restrictions, China has continued making AI breakthroughs that have drawn close scrutiny from U.S. officials.
Li said AI technologies were rapidly evolving but that there were constraints, such as the lack of high-end computing chips and restrictions on talent exchange. He called for breaking through bottlenecks for open and coordinated innovation. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Colombia ex-president Uribe sentenced to 12 years of house arrest, document shows
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox BOGOTA - Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was sentenced on Friday to 12 years of house arrest for abuse of process and bribery of a public official, according to a sentencing document seen by Reuters and a source with knowledge of the matter. Uribe was convicted of the two charges on Monday by Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia in a witness-tampering case that has run for about 13 years. He has always maintained his innocence. The sentencing document, also published by local media, came hours ahead of the hearing where Heredia will read the sentence in court. Uribe will also be fined $578,000, the document showed, and barred from public office for more than eight years. Uribe, whose legal team has said he will appeal the ruling, is to report to authorities in Rionegro, in Antioquia province, where he resides, and then "proceed immediately to his residence where he will comply with house arrest," the document said. The conviction made him the country's first ex-president to ever be found guilty at trial and came less than a year before Colombia's 2026 presidential election, in which several of Uribe's allies and proteges are competing for top office. It could also have implications for Colombia's relationship with the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that Uribe's conviction was a "weaponization of Colombia's judicial branch by radical judges" and analysts have said there could be cuts to U.S. aid in response. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Tech Reporting suspected advanced cyber attacks will provide a defence framework: Shanmugam Business Singapore's US tariff rate stays at 10%, but the Republic is not out of the woods yet Asia Asia-Pacific economies welcome new US tariff rates, but concerns over extent of full impact remain Business ST explains: How Trump tariffs could affect Singapore SMEs, jobs and markets Asia Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupts Singapore Thundery showers expected on most days in first half of August Singapore Synapxe chief executive, MND deputy secretary to become new perm secs on Sept 1 Singapore 5 women face capital charges after they were allegedly found with nearly 27kg of cocaine in S'pore Uribe, 73, and his supporters have always said the process is a persecution, while his detractors have celebrated it as deserved comeuppance for a man who has been accused for decades of close ties with violent right-wing paramilitaries but never convicted of any crime until now. TESTIMONIES FROM FORMER PARAMILITARIES Uribe, who was president from 2002 to 2010 and oversaw a military offensive against leftist guerrillas, was charged over allegations he ordered a lawyer to bribe jailed paramilitaries to discredit claims he had ties to their organizations. Those claims stemmed from leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda, who collected testimonies from former paramilitaries who said Uribe had supported their organizations in Antioquia, where he once served as governor. Uribe alleged in 2012 that Cepeda orchestrated the testimonies in a plot to tie him to the paramilitaries, but the Supreme Court ruled six years later that Cepeda had not paid or pressured the ex-paramilitaries. Instead, the court said it was Uribe and his allies who pressured the witnesses. Cepeda has been classed as a victim in the case and attended Monday's hearing. Two jailed former paramilitaries testified that Diego Cadena, the lawyer formerly representing Uribe, offered them money to testify in Uribe's favor. Cadena, who is also facing charges, has denied the accusations and testified, along with several other ex-paramilitaries, on Uribe's behalf. Each charge carried a potential sentence of six to 12 years. Uribe, who was placed under house arrest for two months in 2020, is head of the powerful Democratic Center party and was a senator for years both before and after his presidency. He has repeatedly emphasized that he extradited paramilitary leaders to the United States. Colombia's truth commission says paramilitary groups, which demobilized under deals with Uribe's government, killed more than 205,000 people, nearly half of the 450,000 deaths recorded during the ongoing civil conflict. Paramilitaries, along with guerrilla groups and members of the armed forces, also committed forced disappearances, sexual violence, displacement and other crimes. Uribe joins a list of Latin American leaders who have been convicted and sometimes jailed, including Peru's Alberto Fujimori, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ecuador's Rafael Correa, Argentina's Cristina Fernandez and Panama's Ricardo Martinelli. REUTERS
Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Chinese soccer team train for inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A T1 humanoid robot developed by Booster Robotics falls on a football pitch, during a practice in preparation for soccer competitions at the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games, at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, China August 1, 2025. REUTERS/Florence Lo BEIJING - On a soccer pitch in Beijing, "T1" is practising shots and taking up positions. T1 is no ordinary player, however, but a gold medal-winning humanoid robot training for the first World Humanoid Robot Games, taking place in Beijing from August 15. T1 is part of a race to take the lead in humanoid robotics, as China looks to become more self-sufficient in advanced technologies. The Games will bring together teams from more than 20 countries for events ranging from track and field to dance and martial arts, as well as practical applications such as industrial handling and medical services. T1 and its two teammates, fielded by Tsinghua University's Hephaestus team, made history for China last month by winning gold in the "Humanoid, adult size" category of the 28-year-old RoboCup Humanoid League in Brazil. "The Chinese government is actively promoting humanoid robot development," said Zhao Mingguo, Chief Scientist at Booster Robotics, maker of the T1. "To advance technology, the government is actively organising competitive events, and this sports games is one such experience." While some may dismiss such events as gimmicks, industry experts and participants see them as a decisive spur to advance humanoid robots toward practical real-world deployment. Although the Hephaestus team would hardly trouble even junior human opposition, Booster Robotics views soccer as a powerful test of perception, decision-making and control technologies that could later be applied in factories or homes. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Tech Reporting suspected advanced cyber attacks will provide a defence framework: Shanmugam Business Singapore's US tariff rate stays at 10%, but the Republic is not out of the woods yet Asia Asia-Pacific economies welcome new US tariff rates, but concerns over extent of full impact remain Business ST explains: How Trump tariffs could affect Singapore SMEs, jobs and markets Asia Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupts Singapore Thundery showers expected on most days in first half of August Singapore Synapxe chief executive, MND deputy secretary to become new perm secs on Sept 1 Singapore 5 women face capital charges after they were allegedly found with nearly 27kg of cocaine in S'pore "Playing football is a testing and training ground for ... helping us refine our capabilities," Zhao said. And just as in real life, moving on from the training ground is often a challenge. Hephaestus is building on software developed for Brazil to improve the players' positioning skills. But the performance of humanoid robots still depends to a great extent on environmental variables such as the surface and hardness of the ground and the gradient of any slopes, according to Hephaestus's Chen Penghui. It wouldn't be the first time a soccer team had visited a new venue and bemoaned the state of the pitch. REUTERS
Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Rallying-Rovanpera leads the way in home Rally Finland
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Rallying - World Rally Championship - Safari Rally Kenya - March 20, 2025 - Kalle Rovanpera of Finland and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen of Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 in action during the side-by-side super special racing stage at Kasarani in Nairobi. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi/File Photo Double world champion Kalle Rovanpera made a solid start to his bid for a first home WRC win in Finland as the Toyota driver ended Friday's opening leg 4.9 seconds clear of Hyundai's Thierry Neuville. A mere 15.7 seconds separated the top five, with Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux third and 2.8 seconds adrift of his Belgian teammate after 10 of the gravel stages through the Finnish forests. Toyota's Takamoto Katsuta was fourth and Finnish teammate Sami Pajari fifth. Rovanpera had not led a gravel rally this season before Friday but he hit the front after the second stage and was fastest in three of the day's nine stages. "It was a nice day, but not easy by any means. I am not really in my comfort zone at the moment, but we are pushing hard," he said. Both Rovanpera and reigning world champion Neuville agreed the stages had been too fast for comfort. "All flat-out and just taking risks -- not at all what I like," said the Hyundai driver. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Tech Reporting suspected advanced cyber attacks will provide a defence framework: Shanmugam Business Singapore's US tariff rate stays at 10%, but the Republic is not out of the woods yet Asia Asia-Pacific economies welcome new US tariff rates, but concerns over extent of full impact remain Business ST explains: How Trump tariffs could affect Singapore SMEs, jobs and markets Asia Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupts Singapore Thundery showers expected on most days in first half of August Singapore Synapxe chief executive, MND deputy secretary to become new perm secs on Sept 1 Singapore 5 women face capital charges after they were allegedly found with nearly 27kg of cocaine in S'pore Hyundai's championship leader Ott Tanak hit a tree on the seventh stage and was 10th. Toyota title rival Elfyn Evans, who is a single point behind, was seventh with teammate Sebastien Ogier in sixth. REUTERS
