Chinese Premier Li Qiang called on G20 members to pursue broader global cooperation aimed at jointly addressing emerging challenges and promoting sustainable development. Speaking at the second and third sessions of the 20th G20 Summit held in Johannesburg, Li underscored the need for collective action in a period marked by simultaneous crises, including climate change, energy insecurity, and global food shortages.
Li emphasized strengthening agricultural science and technology cooperation to enhance global food production capacity, noting China’s readiness to work with all parties to advance the Global Food Security International Cooperation Initiative and contribute to global efforts against hunger and poverty.
Highlighting the accelerating wave of scientific and technological transformation, Li warned that while these developments present unprecedented opportunities, they also risk exacerbating inequality. He urged the G20 to uphold openness, win-win cooperation, and the sharing of opportunities to advance global welfare.
Li identified the promotion of widespread and responsibly governed artificial intelligence as a priority. He called for enhanced R&D collaboration, the narrowing of intelligence and technology gaps, and the improvement of global AI governance rules. He expressed support for broader participation in the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization and international open-science initiatives.
Li further stressed the importance of mutually beneficial cooperation in the peaceful use of critical minerals, endorsing the constructive role of the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals and calling for full implementation of the G20 Critical Minerals Framework. He urged efforts to ensure fairer distribution of benefits along production and supply chains, particularly for developing countries, and advocated a cautious approach to potential military applications of critical minerals.
Finally, Li called for strengthened development assistance to the Global South. On the sidelines of the summit, he met with French President Emmanuel Macron, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, Angolan President Joao Lourenço, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.