Beijing & Shanghai · May 2026

China AI Delegation

In May 2026, Nexthing hosted Danilo McGarry, the globally recognised AI expert and former Head of AI at Citigroup and UnitedHealth Group, on a programme across Beijing and Shanghai.

The programme gave Danilo first-hand access to the companies shaping China’s AI and technology landscape, and brought him together with founders, investors, and industry leaders for candid, closed-door conversations.

Danilo McGarry presenting at the Zhipu AI event in Beijing — Zhipu AI event, Beijing

Danilo McGarry, Bessie Lee, Milan Chiang and the Nexthing team with Dr. Kai-Fu Lee at 01.AI in Beijing — With Dr. Kai-Fu Lee at 01.AI

The delegation viewing humanoid robots at the AgiBot showroom — AgiBot showroom

2cities

7company visits

2closed-door salons

6days on film

Company visits

Where we went

VISITEDZhipu AIVISITEDMoonshot AIVISITEDMiniMaxVISITEDAgiBotVISITEDXiaomi EVVISITEDBYD YangwangVISITEDRedNote

Plus a meeting with Dr. Kai-Fu Lee and a talk by Danilo at Publicis Groupe’s Shanghai headquarters.

Closed-door AI salons

Danilo McGarry presenting at the Zhipu AI event in Beijing

BEIJING

The Huxiu × Zhipu AI Salon

Audience Q&A at the East & West AI Investment Salon in Shanghai

SHANGHAI

The East & West AI Investment Salon

Bringing together investors and founders to discuss AI across China and the West.

Moments from the trip

Group photo at the East & West AI Investment Salon in Shanghai — East & West AI Investment Salon, Shanghai

Danilo McGarry and the Nexthing delegation at Moonshot AI in Beijing — Moonshot AI, Beijing

Danilo McGarry and the Nexthing delegation at RedNote in Shanghai — RedNote, Shanghai

Danilo McGarry and the Nexthing team at Publicis Groupe's Shanghai headquarters, where Danilo gave a talk — Publicis Groupe, Shanghai

The delegation viewing humanoid robots at the AgiBot showroom — AgiBot showroom

In the media

Danilo also sat down with Huxiu Think Tank for an in-depth interview.

Read the interview ↗

Watch the trip

Six days, on film

Danilo documented each day of the trip on his YouTube channel, It’s all about Ai. Watch the series below.

The West Misunderstands China’s AI. Day 1: China’s AI Reality Check

China’s Innovation Speed Is Unreal | Day 2 of My China Tour

Day 3 in China: I Met Kai-Fu Lee and Saw the Future of AI, Robots and EVs

Day 4 in China: Bullet Trains, Luckin Coffee and Shanghai’s Business Leaders

Day 5 in China: Inside AgiBot, Humanoid Robots and the Future of AGI

Day 6 in China: RedNote, MiniMax and the Tokenomics Problem Western Companies Are Missing