Xi Jinping Pushes Open-Source AI Strategy at BRICS Summit, Competing with U.S. for Global Governance Discourse Power
nashnova research
Xi Jinping used the New Delhi BRICS summit to announce a BRICS open-source AI community, pitching low-cost open models against America's closed-source ecosystem — but the joint statement sidestepped his proposal, and member-state buy-in remains an open question.
What exactly did Xi propose at the BRICS summit?
Two moves: first, a BRICS open-source AI community for joint development and deployment of large language models; second, an invitation to join the World AI Cooperation Organization, a Beijing-led body with nearly 30 member states.
Supporting steps include AI seminars and training programs aimed at sharing open-source resources across member states.
This means → Beijing is not floating a concept — it is building institutional scaffolding with a platform, events, and a membership roster, trying to push "open-source cooperation" from slogan to mechanism.
Why bet on "open source" as the flagship play?
The strategic target is the United States. OpenAI and Anthropic run closed-source models — powerful but expensive and gated. Beijing is betting on open source to offer a lower-cost alternative that appeals to developing-world users.
In plain terms = the U.S. sells the best lock; China offers a key everyone can copy. Whichever model pulls in more uncommitted countries wins.
Security minister Chen Yixin published an article during the summit criticizing countries that use blacklists and export controls to "sever the global AI supply chain," framing open source as a guarantee of AI safety and equity.
How open is China's own version of "openness"?
The boundary is explicit. At China's top AI summit in July, Xi stressed the need to balance development with security.
A social-media account frequently used to signal official policy said China should restrict access to the most powerful capabilities of its AI models.
This reflects a selective brand of openness — share foundational capabilities, retain control over frontier ones. Open-source diplomacy abroad, security guardrails at home, running in parallel.
Are the other BRICS members on board?
Signals so far are inconclusive. The summit's joint statement did not explicitly endorse Xi's proposal, offering only a generic call to "strengthen international cooperation to improve AI accessibility while ensuring safety, reliability, and inclusiveness."
Key members including the UAE and India have not clarified their positions; whether they will join the open-source community remains unknown.
This means → whether China can convert the BRICS platform from declaration diplomacy into an operational mechanism is the make-or-break test for this strategy — without substantive member-state participation, the framework stays on paper.
市场有风险，内容仅供研究参考，不构成投资建议。