On July 16, 2026, representatives from 29 countries signed the founding agreement of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) in Shanghai, creating the first intergovernmental body dedicated exclusively to artificial intelligence. Proposed by China and headquartered in Shanghai, WAICO aims to foster international cooperation on civilian AI regulation and bridge the growing technological divide in computing capacity between developed and developing nations. Chinese President Xi Jinping formally announced the organization a day later at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026, positioning it as a platform for inclusive, people-centered AI governance.
What Is WAICO?
WAICO is an independent intergovernmental international organization established by a multilateral agreement signed on July 16, 2026, in Shanghai. Its headquarters is located in Shanghai, China. The organization operates under the principles of the United Nations Charter and follows a model of extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit.
The organization’s stated objectives include promoting international cooperation on AI, developing civilian AI regulations, ensuring that AI remains beneficial and safe for humanity, and bridging what has been described as the technological compute divide, the gap between countries with access to advanced computing infrastructure for AI and those without.
The founding agreement was signed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on behalf of the Chinese government. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the signing ceremony, lending multilateral legitimacy to the initiative.
How It Was Proposed
Chinese Premier Li Qiang first proposed WAICO in July 2025 at the previous edition of the World AI Conference. President Xi Jinping reiterated the proposal at the 33rd APEC meeting in October 2025. The organization took just one year to move from proposal to formal establishment, reflecting China’s urgency in shaping the global AI governance architecture.
Why Was WAICO Created?
WAICO serves multiple strategic purposes for China and its founding members.
Bridging the Compute Divide
A central theme of WAICO is addressing the technological compute divide. Advanced AI models require enormous computing power, specialized hardware like GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), and large-scale data infrastructure. These resources are concentrated in a handful of countries and global technology companies. WAICO aims to provide developing nations with access to AI capacity building, training, and infrastructure support.
Creating an Alternative to Western-Led AI Governance
China has criticized existing international AI governance efforts, such as those hosted in the United Kingdom, South Korea, France, and India, for being dominated by advanced economies and focusing narrowly on managing high-risk systems. WAICO positions itself as a more inclusive forum with no entry barriers based on political systems or values, explicitly targeting the Global South.
Expanding China’s Diplomatic Influence
WAICO allows China to offer structured support to developing countries through access to AI models, infrastructure assistance, and technical know-how. Xi Jinping announced plans to provide 5,000 training spots for developing countries over the next five years and to establish AI cooperation centers with regional blocs including ASEAN, the African Union, and BRICS.
China’s Global AI Governance Initiative
WAICO is part of China’s broader Global AI Governance Action Plan, unveiled in July 2025. This 13-point road map emphasizes multilateral collaboration on AI safety, infrastructure (compute, data centers, networks), data standards, and sustainable development. It acknowledges the United Nations as the main channel for crafting an equitable global governance framework.
The Geopolitical Context: A Split in Global AI Governance
WAICO’s launch comes at a time of intensifying US-China technological rivalry, often described as a Chip War over control of semiconductor supply chains and AI capabilities.
China’s Strategy
AI is a central pillar of China’s industrial policy. Beijing has invested heavily in building a self-sustained domestic AI ecosystem from chip production to consumer applications. China holds advantages in powering large data centres due to its cheap electricity supply, and it dominates the production of rare earth minerals critical for chip manufacturing. However, it faces technology export restrictions from the United States on advanced semiconductors.
By creating WAICO, China is shifting from an approach focused on exporting AI infrastructure (through initiatives like the Digital Silk Road) toward a more comprehensive strategy of shaping global rules, norms, and institutions of AI governance. Analysts have noted that Beijing hopes to use WAICO to build consensus among developing nations and then leverage that consensus at the United Nations.
The United States’ Approach
Under the Trump administration, the US has pursued a different path: prioritizing domestic AI innovation, accelerating infrastructure buildout, and promoting American standards through its own technology stack. At the Paris AI Summit in February 2025, the US made clear that winning the AI race was the priority. The US has also pulled back from multilateral cyber and AI norms-setting institutions, including withdrawing from the Freedom Online Coalition and the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise.
This retreat has created a vacuum in global AI governance that China is actively filling.
The Emerging Bloc-Based System
No Western or strongly Western-aligned country is among WAICO’s founding members. This points to an emerging split in AI governance along geopolitical lines. Experts suggest this could solidify into parallel ecosystems for standards, data governance, and infrastructure with limited interoperability between them. Countries may now engage in forum shopping, choosing among competing institutional tracks that best match their political preferences and development priorities.
Founding Member States and Structure
WAICO has 29 founding member states. These are predominantly from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with a strong representation from the Global South.
| Region | Member Countries |
|---|---|
| Asia | China, Russia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Oman |
| Africa | Algeria, Cameroon, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Zambia |
| Latin America | Brazil, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela |
| Europe | Belarus, Serbia |
The agreement emphasizes open participation without conditions tied to political systems or values. This means countries can join without adopting specific ideological frameworks, making it attractive to the Non-Aligned Movement and developing nations that wish to avoid taking sides in the US-China rivalry.
How WAICO Differs from Other AI Governance Forums
Unlike informal multilateral processes or summit-based dialogues, WAICO is structured as a standing intergovernmental organization with a permanent headquarters. This institutional permanence gives it the potential to shape long-term governance outcomes through working groups, shared projects, and funding mechanisms rather than through occasional declarations.
India and WAICO
India is not among the 29 founding members of WAICO. This absence is significant given India’s ambition to become a major player in AI development.
India has pursued its own path in AI governance. The government launched the IndiaAI Mission with an outlay of ₹10,372 crore in March 2024, aiming to build a comprehensive AI ecosystem including computing infrastructure, innovation centers, and skilling programs. India has also actively participated in other multilateral AI governance platforms, including hosting an AI Summit in New Delhi in 2026.
India’s absence from WAICO reflects its careful balancing act between the US and China. India shares concerns with Western nations about China using such platforms to export authoritarian models of technology governance, including state control over content and surveillance capabilities. At the same time, India has not explicitly opposed WAICO and may choose to engage with the organization in a limited capacity or observer status in the future.
Key Takeaways
- The World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) was established on July 16, 2026, with 29 founding member countries.
- WAICO is headquartered in Shanghai, China, and is the first intergovernmental organization dedicated exclusively to artificial intelligence.
- Chinese Premier Li Qiang first proposed WAICO in July 2025, and President Xi Jinping announced its launch at the World AI Conference (WAIC) 2026.
- WAICO aims to bridge the technological compute divide by providing AI capacity building, training, and infrastructure support to developing nations.
- India is not among WAICO’s founding members, which include Russia, Pakistan, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the signing ceremony in Shanghai, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi signed the agreement on behalf of China.
