As China prepares to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2026 under the theme “Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together,” the agenda emphasizes openness, innovation, and cooperation. Central to this vision is the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and the challenge of leveraging it to reduce disparities in education, information access, and economic opportunity across the region.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for equitable global governance of AI, highlighting the formation of a new international cooperation body grounded in principles of openness, mutual benefit, and innovation-driven development. This initiative seeks to ensure that AI’s growth supports inclusive progress rather than deepening existing divides.
While governments have a pivotal role in closing the digital gap through policy frameworks and infrastructure investments, collaboration with academia, technology companies, and the private sector is also crucial to improving accessibility and promoting responsible AI use. The goal is to harness AI’s capabilities to enhance productivity, stimulate innovation, and advance human development broadly.
Education is considered a fundamental element in this effort. Hong Kong, with its network of leading universities, national backing, international investment, and skilled talent pool, occupies a strategic position in advancing digital equity. Its proximity to Mainland China, Southeast Asia, and Belt and Road Initiative countries further strengthens its role as a hub for fostering digital transformation across diverse societies.
The Education University of Hong Kong, ranked among the top seven globally for education by major university league tables, illustrates this approach. The institution has been instrumental in regional capacity-building through leadership in teacher training, lifelong learning programs, and integrating digital adoption methodologies. Since providing consultancy for World Bank education projects in Vietnam in 2017, the university has expanded academic exchanges and talent development efforts, including collaborations in Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates, helping education systems adapt to the demands of the digital age.
In recent years, the university has embedded AI into its education curricula and faculties to nurture skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and ethical decision-making. Its partnerships, academic exchanges, and research initiatives have disseminated these practices across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and other countries along the Belt and Road, inspiring new educational strategies and expanding opportunities for future learners.
Experts note that AI, like the internet a generation earlier, presents both significant opportunities and systemic risks. Achieving a truly equitable global digital society requires combining technological infrastructure deployment with talent cultivation and sustained international educational diplomacy grounded in multilateral cooperation and cultural respect.
By fostering open knowledge exchange and collaborative learning frameworks, regional leaders aim to ensure that the benefits of AI extend to all communities, supporting the broader goal of a prosperous and inclusive Asia-Pacific future, according to Professor John Lee Chi-kin, president of the Education University of Hong Kong.