China Establishes World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization in Shanghai

As global competition in artificial intelligence intensifies, AI governance and safety standards have become a new arena for geopolitical rivalry. Against this backdrop, China proposed the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, seeking to build a Chinese-led international framework outside the AI rules shaped by the United States and Europe. The initiative could determine whether global AI technical standards fragment or converge and profoundly reshape power and influence in cross-border technology governance.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in July 2026, where China and 29 founding member countries, including Russia and Indonesia, signed an agreement formally establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization. No specific funding commitment was disclosed for the initial phase of cooperation. Headquartered in Shanghai, the organization aims to promote AI safety and equitable governance, formally opening a new phase of international competition over technical standards.