China publishes AI governance whitepaper ahead of G7 wrap-up, urging faster cooperation with Beijing absent from talks

China said it has pushed for stronger safeguards for artificial intelligence as a G7 summit concluded without Beijing’s participation, according to a Wednesday report. China’s government published a new artificial intelligence global governance whitepaper as leaders and officials from other major economies wrapped up their meeting, and it called for expanded cooperation on AI safety and risk management.

The Chinese whitepaper included artificial intelligence as a component of global governance, framing AI as a cross-border issue that requires coordinated rules. The report also said China told partners that it is speeding up cooperation efforts, indicating Beijing is seeking a faster path toward shared standards even while it remains outside the G7 decision-making forum.

The timing of the document positions it as a parallel track to multilateral discussions among the world’s advanced economies. With China not included in the G7 gathering, Beijing’s publication functioned as a direct statement of its approach to AI governance and safety, rather than participation in the summit’s working sessions.

Public statements around AI governance often focus on risk controls such as preventing harmful or destabilizing uses of powerful systems, setting expectations for responsible deployment, and encouraging information-sharing between governments. In this case, China’s government presented its safety and governance framework in a formal whitepaper and linked it to a broader push for international cooperation.

The G7 format has generally included extensive coordination among member governments on technology, security, and economic policy, but the absence of China means any consensus produced in that setting would be without Beijing’s formal buy-in. For China, issuing a detailed governance document at the close of a G7 cycle suggests it aims to influence subsequent bilateral and multilateral discussions on AI rules.

It is not clear from the report alone how other governments plan to respond to China’s whitepaper, or whether the document will be referenced in future AI working groups beyond the G7. The next phase will likely depend on whether China’s proposal is taken up by other governments, and on what kinds of cooperative mechanisms or standards partners are willing to negotiate outside the G7 track.