29 countries sign deal to establish China-led global AI body

Twenty-nine countries signed an agreement on Thursday in Shanghai to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), an intergovernmental body that represents Beijing's most ambitious effort yet to shape global AI governance and challenge Western-led frameworks for regulating the technology.

The signing ceremony took place ahead of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, scheduled to run from July 17 to 20 in Shanghai. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been a central figure in promoting the organization, which China first proposed in July 2025 when Premier Li Qiang announced the initiative at the World AI Conference.reuters+2

A Platform for the Global South

WAICO is designed around three operational goals: deepening innovation cooperation through a "supply-demand matching platform" connecting countries with AI capabilities to those that need them; promoting inclusive development to bridge what Beijing calls the "intelligence gap"; and strengthening collaborative governance by aligning development strategies and technical standards.chinadiplomacy

The organization's membership is open to any sovereign state, with no values or regime-type test for entry — a feature that distinguishes it from Western-led initiatives such as the G7's Hiroshima AI Process or the US-backed network of AI safety institutes. China has framed Global South countries as the primary beneficiaries of the arrangement.simoninstitute+1

Geopolitical Context

The establishment of WAICO comes amid deepening fractures in international AI governance. At a recent G7 summit, French President Emmanuel Macron criticized US restrictions on AI technology exports as "very nationalist". Meanwhile, the United States has moved to tighten export controls on advanced AI chips and models.giggleacademy

China's approach treats AI governance primarily as a development issue rather than one of safety or values alignment. The organization will be headquartered in Shanghai, the same city that hosts China's annual World AI Conference.simoninstitute+1

China's Governance Push

Wang Yi outlined the initiative as one of nine global governance reform priorities during a May 2026 speech in New York, telling assembled diplomats that China "welcomes all parties to join in promoting AI for good". A June 2026 white paper from China's State Council further detailed the organizational framework.china-mission+2

The Simon Institute for Longterm Governance noted that WAICO represents a departure from existing multilateral tech bodies, combining open membership with an agenda built explicitly around development rather than regulatory harmonization. Whether the body can attract participation beyond its initial signatories — particularly from major Western economies — remains an open question as the World AI Conference opens this week in Shanghai.simoninstitute