A UK-based independent worldwide fellowship
Call for Papers
Following ten successful Global China Dialogue (GCD) Forums, the 11th GCD – Global AI and Data Governance – will be held at the British Academy on Friday, 4 December 2026. GCD11 will focus on how to advance safe, trustworthy, and sustainable governance of artificial intelligence and data through institutional design, international coordination, and ethical frameworks.
As a transformative force reshaping economic structures, social governance, and knowledge production, artificial intelligence and data are increasingly central to global development. At the same time, they raise critical challenges related to privacy protection, algorithmic bias, data sovereignty, and technological competition. In response, governance efforts are evolving rapidly, with growing emphasis on cross-border collaboration, multi-stakeholder engagement, and the development of shared principles and regulatory approaches.
This Dialogue will provide a platform for diverse conversations, bringing together policymakers, scholars, technology leaders, business representatives, and international organizations to explore emerging frameworks, governance models, and practical pathways for global AI and data governance.
Organizers:
- Global China Academy, UK
- Universiy College London, UK
- Lau China Institute, King’s College London, UK
- MAIT/Chinese Stream, University of Bath, UK
Organizing committee:
Chairs
- Professor Madeline Carr FGCA, Professor of Global Politics and Cybersecurity, Co-Director of the Doctoral Training Centre for Cybersecurity, UCL, UK
- Professor Xiangqun Chang FRSA FGCA and President of Global China Academy; Honorary Professor of University College London (2015-20), UK; Distinguished Professor of Nankai University, China
- Professor Kerry Brown FGCA, Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of Lau China Institute, King’s College London, UK
- Dr Yukteshwar Kumar, Senior Lecturer, Politics, Languages & International Studies, Univerasity of Bath, UK; Former Deputy Mayor of the city of Bath.
General Secretaries
- Professor Fiona Moore FGCA, Professor of Business Anthropology at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
- Professor LI Boyi, Associate Fellow and Secretary of the GCA Chinese Council, Global China Academy; School of Business Administration, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, China
- Mr Kai Liang, Event Officer, Global China Academy; Ambassador Hampton Court Palace Golf Club, UK
Members (in alphabetical order)
- Professor BING Zheng FGCA, Chinese Chair of Global China Academy Council; Former Vice-President of Jilin University; Former Vice-President of Chinese Sociological Association
- Professor Martin Jacques FGCA, a British academic, journalist, political commentator, and author; Senior Fellow and Visiting Professor at several leading universities in the UK and China
- Professor Maria H.A. Jaschok FGCA and Chair of GCA Board of Trustees; Senior Research Associate of the Contemporary China Studies Programme in the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies, University of Oxford
- Professor Li Li FGCA, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Global at Newcastle University, UK
- Professor Li Wei FBA FAcSS FRSA FGCA and Director and Non-Executive Chair of Global China Academy Council; Director and Dean of the UCL Institute of Education (IOE), UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, UK
- Professor Tony McEnery FAcSS FRSA, FGCA and Chair of Global China Academy Council; Council Member of Academy of Social Sciences, UK; Chair Professor The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
- Mr Barnaby Powell, Council Member, Society for Anglo–Chinese Understanding, UK
- Professor Laurence Roulleau-Berger FGCA, Vice President for European engagement of Global China Academy; Research Director at the National Centre for Scientific Research; Professor at Triangle, École Normale Supérieure of Lyon, France
- Professor Peter Schröder, FGCA and Vice-President and Founding Fellow of Global China Academy; Department of History and European and International Social and Political Studies, University College London, UK
- Professor Elena Semino FAcSS FRSA, Professor at Department: Linguistics and English Language, Director of ESRC Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science (CASS), Lancaster University, UK
- Professor XIE Lizhong FGCA and Chinese President of Global China Academy; Former Head of Institute of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Sociology, Peking University; President of Association of Social Theory Studies of China, UK
- Professor ZHANG Xiaodong FGCA and Chinese Non-Executive Chair of Global China Academy Council; Executive Director, Academic Committee of the Chinese Management Association; ECO of Agile Think Tank, China
GCD11 consists of four thematic panels:
- Panel 1 AI Governance and Advanced Technology Regulation
This panel explores regulatory approaches to emerging AI systems, including foundation models and high-risk applications. It will examine how governance frameworks, standards, and institutional mechanisms can ensure accountability, safety, and effective oversight in the development and deployment of advanced technologies.
- Panel 2 Data Governance, Digital Sovereignty, and Power Structures
This panel focuses on how data and digital content are generated, accessed, managed, preserved, and governed across different jurisdictions and sectors. It will address key issues of data and digital content are generated, accessed, managed, preserved, and governed, addressing issues of ownership, access and licensing, sovereignty, long-term access to digital scholarly resources, and the evolving distribution of power in the global digital landscape.
- Panel 3 Global Rule-making and Technological Competition
This panel focuses on international norms, regulatory coordination, and standard-setting, including interoperability, digital content management, and knowledge infrastructures, as well as the interplay between geopolitical competition and cooperation in shaping global technology governance.
- Panel 4 AI Ethics, Societal Impact, and Sustainable Development
This panel addresses the ethical principles, real-world applications, and the broader social, economic, and environmental impacts of AI, including trustworthy knowledge and sustainable digital preservation, in advancing inclusive, equitable and sustainable development.
Submissions and Collaboration
Through diverse perspectives and cross-sector dialogue, the 11th Global China Dialogue aims to contribute Chinese insights and international experience to global AI and data governance, fostering a more secure, trustworthy, open, and sustainable digital governance landscape.
We invite submissions from diverse disciplines, sectors, and regions, focusing on technology- and data-driven social transformation, to examine key issues, challenges, and opportunities in global AI and data governance. Click “Submit” to upload your proposed presentation title, abstract, and biographical note.
We also welcome institutional participation in this Dialogue in line with our Guidelines for Partner Institutions, including roles as co-organisers, collaborating partners, supporting organisations, or sponsors.
Important Dates for GCD XI:
- 30th September 2026: Deadline for submitting abstracts for proposed topics.
- 15th October 2026: Online registration opens.
- 8th November 2026: Deadline for speakers to submit their notes and PowerPoint presentations.
- 20th November 2026: Final deadline for registration.
- 27th November 2026: Programme available for download in English, Chinese, and dual-language formats.
- 4th December 2026: Date of the 11th Global China Dialogue.
The proceedings of GCD XI will be published in 2027, featuring transcribed records, bilingual translation, and editing.
Contact: Boyi Li and Kai Liang
More info
- Abstract Submition
- GCD11 Call for Papers (Download PDF file)
- GCD11 Call for Papers (Chinese)
- GCD Partnership Guidelines
- GCD Partnership Guidelines (Chinese)
- GCD series Home
- GCD series Home (Chinese)
- Registration
- Registration (Chinese)
- GCD11 Call for Participants
- GCD11 Call for Participants (Chinese)
