Twenty-nine countries signed an agreement in Shanghai on Thursday to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), a China-led intergovernmental body that Beijing hopes will shape global rules for AI and counter Western-led governance initiatives.
The signing took place at China's flagship World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), where President Xi Jinping personally opened the event for the first time. For observers following AI Buzz Wire for the latest AI policy developments, the launch marks a significant escalation in the geopolitical contest over who writes the rules for artificial intelligence.
According to China's official Xinhua news agency, the WAICO will be an independent intergovernmental international organization headquartered in Shanghai. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi signed the agreement on behalf of the Chinese government.
A Rival to Western Governance Efforts
The new body is widely seen as Beijing's answer to U.S.- and European-led efforts to set AI standards. While Washington and its allies have pushed voluntary commitments among frontier AI developers and export controls on advanced chips, China is positioning itself as a champion of a more inclusive, cooperative approach — particularly aimed at courting countries across the Global South.
Reporting from Reuters and other international outlets described the agreement as covering China, Russia, Brazil, and 26 other nations. The launch comes as the United Nations has been separately working to establish an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and a Global Dialogue on AI Governance, leaving some analysts to question how the new Shanghai-based organization will relate to those multilateral efforts.
China first proposed the creation of a world AI cooperation organization in July 2025, putting the idea forward at its annual AI conference. The concept has since been refined into a formal institution with the stated goal of promoting open, inclusive, and equitable AI development and governance worldwide.
Beijing's Diplomatic Pivot
The WAICO launch reflects a broader shift in Beijing's AI diplomacy. Analysts note that China is pivoting from a focus on infrastructure and technical standards toward a more comprehensive effort aimed at recrafting the global norms and institutions that govern AI.
Premier Li Qiang told the conference that China wants to help coordinate global efforts to regulate fast-evolving AI technology and to share the country's advances with the world, according to reports. The messaging was aimed squarely at developing nations that have felt excluded from the AI governance conversations dominated by wealthy Western economies.
Xi Jinping used his appearance to position China as an alternative to the United States on technology cooperation. State media said a World AI Cooperation Organization could help set international rules and foster collaboration, framing the initiative as a public good rather than a power play.
What WAICO Might Actually Do
Details about the organization's specific functions remain limited, but the agreement establishes it as a standing intergovernmental institution with a permanent secretariat in Shanghai. That structure gives China a lasting institutional foothold in global AI governance, regardless of how individual member states align on specific policies.
The member list is expected to grow, with Beijing actively recruiting additional signatories from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. The emphasis on inclusivity and equitable access is a deliberate contrast to the more exclusive groupings that have formed among the United States and its closest allies.
The Bigger Geopolitical Picture
The launch of WAICO comes at a moment of intensifying competition over AI leadership. The United States has tightened export controls on advanced AI chips, pushed domestic production through large-scale infrastructure investments, and encouraged its allies to adopt similar restrictions. China has responded by accelerating its own chip development, releasing competitive frontier models from companies like Zhipu AI and Z.ai, and now building international institutions to match its technological ambitions.
For many developing countries, the new organization offers a venue to participate in AI governance discussions without being forced to choose sides in the U.S.-China rivalry — at least in theory. Whether WAICO evolves into a meaningful rule-setting body or remains largely a diplomatic talking point will depend on the resources Beijing commits and the willingness of its members to align on substantive policies.
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