China launches World AI Cooperation Organization as 29 countries sign founding agreement in Shanghai

Asia-Pacific, News July 17, 2026 , by IRIA Comments Off

7 minute read

Twenty-nine countries have signed an agreement establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) in Shanghai on July 16, 2026. The initiative is headed by China and seeks a larger role in shaping the future of the rapidly evolving technology.

The agreement was signed ahead of the opening of the four-day World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), which aims to create an independent intergovernmental organization headquartered in Shanghai.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and representatives from the founding member states signed the accord in the presence of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The founding members include countries from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, among them Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Belarus, Serbia, Brazil, Cuba, and Venezuela.

Chinese officials said the organization is intended to promote international collaboration on AI development while helping establish common governance standards for one of the world’s fastest-growing technologies.

The signing comes as artificial intelligence has become a focal point of geopolitical competition, with governments increasingly viewing AI as a strategic technology capable of transforming economic growth, national security and global competitiveness.

The official preview of #WAIC2026. Under the theme “#AI Partnership for a brighter future”, WAIC2026 will be held from July 17 to 20 in Shanghai, featuring more than 140 themed forums, with over 1,400 international guests expected to attend. pic.twitter.com/jKacmliyQF
— Chinese Mission to UN (@Chinamission2un) July 15, 2026

Xi Calls for International Cooperation

Opening the World Artificial Intelligence Conference on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged countries to work together on AI development, warning against allowing the technology to be dominated by any single player.

“AI development should not be a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation,” Xi said during his keynote address.

“We should jointly oppose overstretching the national security concept in the field of AI or placing one country’s security over that of others,” he added.

Xi also stressed that governments should establish legal frameworks and oversight mechanisms to ensure artificial intelligence remains under human control.

“We should put in place laws and regulations, technological monitoring, early warning, and emergency response systems, to… ensure AI is always under human control,” he said, calling for a “people-centric” approach to AI governance.

His remarks come amid growing global debate over the governance of artificial intelligence as countries grapple with concerns surrounding cybersecurity, misinformation, military applications, privacy and the impact of automation on employment.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, center takes a group photo with other attendees before the opening ceremony for the World AI Conference in Shanghai — *^{Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, takes a group photo with other attendees before the opening ceremony for the World AI Conference in Shanghai, on July 17, 2026. (Image Credit: AP/Ng Han Guan)}*

Strengthening Global AI Governance

According to the agreement, WAICO will operate as an independent intergovernmental international organization guided by the principles of the United Nations Charter.

The organization aims to promote international cooperation and improve global governance of artificial intelligence while encouraging the safe, fair, and orderly development of AI technologies.

Its stated objectives include advancing consultation among member states, encouraging shared technological development, and ensuring that AI benefits humanity while reducing risks associated with emerging technologies.

Chinese officials said the organization follows principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, while adopting a people-centered approach to AI governance.

Officials have also said the initiative seeks to bridge the global AI divide by expanding access to technological development, particularly for developing countries, and ensuring that the benefits of artificial intelligence are more widely shared.

China first proposed creating the organization during last year’s World Artificial Intelligence Conference, presenting it as part of its broader support for multilateral cooperation on emerging technologies.

^{29 countries, including China, Kazakhstan, Laos, Pakistan, Russia and Indonesia, signed the Agreement on the Establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) in Shanghai, China. (Image Credit: Chinese Foreign Ministry/via X/@SpoxCHN_LinJian)}

Global Competition Intensifies

The launch of WAICO comes as competition between China and the United States over artificial intelligence continues to intensify.

Washington and the European Union have introduced restrictions affecting Chinese technology imports and advanced semiconductor exports, citing national security concerns. At the same time, China has accelerated investment across the AI industry, from semiconductor manufacturing and cloud computing infrastructure to large language models and consumer applications.

Industry analysts say the United States continues to maintain an advantage in advanced AI chips, frontier computing infrastructure and the largest AI model development projects. However, China has rapidly narrowed the gap by expanding domestic innovation and supporting open-source AI development.

Chinese AI companies have increasingly attracted international users by offering competitive models at lower costs, while several overseas companies have begun adopting Chinese open-source AI systems for commercial applications.

Conference Showcases China’s AI Ambitions

More than 1,000 technology companies, researchers, government officials, and industry leaders are participating in this year’s World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai.

Around 3,000 products are being exhibited during the four-day event, ranging from advanced semiconductor platforms designed for AI computing to autonomous AI agents and intelligent consumer devices.

The World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (#WAICO) will be an independent intergovernmental international organization headquartered in Shanghai.

It aims to promote international cooperation and global governance on AI, ensure that #AI is beneficial, safe and… pic.twitter.com/VaEdal4FyV
— Lin Jian 林剑 (@SpoxCHN_LinJian) July 16, 2026

One of the conference’s major themes is the transition of artificial intelligence from standalone language models to scalable systems capable of performing complex real-world tasks across industries.

Several Chinese technology companies unveiled new AI products during the event. Beijing-based startup Moonshot AI introduced its latest flagship large language model, Kimi K3, which developers say is designed to compete with leading international AI systems.

Other technologies presented at the conference include MiniMax’s M3 AI model, autonomous AI agents capable of independently completing digital tasks, and Huawei’s Atlas 950 “supernode” architecture developed for AI learning and reasoning.

The conference also features AI-powered smartphones capable of autonomously operating applications and carrying out complex user instructions without continuous human input.

China Expands AI Industry

Artificial intelligence has become one of the central pillars of China’s industrial development strategy, supported by significant state investment across research, infrastructure and commercial applications.

Official data shows China’s AI market reached approximately $177 billion in 2025 and is expected to expand by more than 30% this year. Chinese authorities have also reported a dramatic increase in AI usage, with daily consumption of AI computing tokens rising roughly one thousandfold over the past two years.

^{Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai and delivered the keynote address on July 17, 2026. (Image Credit: X/@SpoxCHN_MaoNing)}

Innovation activity has accelerated as well. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, China has filed more patents related to generative artificial intelligence than any other country, recording more than 43,000 patent filings between 2024 and 2025.

Officials say the country’s strategy aims to build a complete domestic AI ecosystem covering semiconductor production, computing infrastructure, foundation models and consumer applications while strengthening international cooperation through multilateral initiatives.

Growing Focus on International Rules

The establishment of WAICO reflects increasing international recognition that artificial intelligence requires coordinated global governance as the technology becomes more deeply integrated into economies and societies.

Governments worldwide continue to debate how to balance innovation with regulation while addressing concerns over cybersecurity, military applications, misinformation, privacy protection and ethical standards.

China has increasingly advocated multilateral approaches to AI governance through international institutions, arguing that developing countries should have a greater voice in shaping future rules governing the technology.

The participation of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the signing ceremony underscored growing international attention to efforts aimed at developing common governance mechanisms for artificial intelligence.

To further support global AI development and advance global AI capacity building, in the next five years, China will

1️⃣ Provide developing countries with 5,000 opportunities in AI training and seminar programs;

2️⃣ Develop international AI application cooperation centers with… pic.twitter.com/7KTHuXIM51
— Mao Ning 毛宁 (@SpoxCHN_MaoNing) July 17, 2026

As AI capabilities continue to advance rapidly and competition among major technology powers intensifies, the creation of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization represents one of the most significant international institutional initiatives focused on coordinating global cooperation and governance in the field of artificial intelligence.