Beijing Hosts Fifth Think-Tank Forum on AI and Global Governance

What changed

A fifth international think-tank forum on global governance and international communication was held in Beijing at the Communication University of China on October 31, 2026. Universities, think tanks and research institutions from China, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, France, Angola, Tanzania, Mexico, Argentina and Venezuela discussed artificial intelligence, multilateral cooperation and international communication.

Why it matters

The forum shows how artificial intelligence is becoming part of the argument over who gets heard and who helps set global rules. Its organisers framed the challenge as a combination of an “intelligent divide” and a governance deficit, linking access to technology with the institutions expected to manage its consequences.

That makes the gathering more than a conference about media language. It put AI and international communication beside questions of global governance, while bringing together voices from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. The central idea was that dialogue can reduce misunderstanding and help build agreement in a more inclusive international order.

The forum also gave China–Latin America cooperation a prominent place in that argument. China’s special representative for Latin American affairs cited $549 billion in bilateral trade in 2025, 119 small livelihood-cooperation projects and a 65% positive view of China’s influence in the region. Those figures were presented as evidence that cooperation with Latin America can contribute to a fairer global governance system, though the polling figure was not independently verified in the account.

The institute behind the forum said it has jointly established research centres with think tanks in several countries. That network, and the forum’s fifth edition, suggest an effort to turn broad principles about shared development, security, civilisation and governance into a continuing intellectual platform. Whether that produces binding policy or practical cooperation remains the important question.