MOSCOW -- China and Russia expressed support on Thursday for the United Nations to play a central role in the governance of artificial intelligence (AI).

In a joint statement on further deepening the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era that was signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, the two sides emphasized the importance of respecting national sovereignty and adhering to the laws of each country as well as the UN Charter during the process.

They reiterated their commitment to jointly promoting the good, universal and beneficial development of AI, believing that machine learning is conducive to promoting the economic and social development of all countries and should not become a geopolitical tool for certain countries to maintain hegemony.

Both sides opposed the politicization of science and technology issues and the negative practice of maliciously disrupting the stability of the international AI industrial chain and supply chain.

In the statement, Russia expressed appreciation for China's efforts in promoting the UN General Assembly's unanimous adoption of the resolution on Enhancing International Cooperation on Capacity-Building of Artificial Intelligence, and welcomed China's proposal of the AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All.

The Russian side also expressed willingness to actively engage in bilateral and multilateral cooperation based on platforms such as the Group of Friends for International Cooperation on AI Capacity-Building and the China-BRICS AI Development and Cooperation Center.

Both sides pledged to support each other in hosting the 2025 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance and the Global Digital Forum.