China launches World AI Cooperation Organization with 29 countries

China has launched the World AI Cooperation Organization with 29 founding members, including Russia, Brazil, and other nations from the Global South. The intergovernmental body, headquartered in Shanghai, aims to promote global AI governance and is seen as a move by Beijing to challenge US influence. The agreement was signed on July 16, 2026, ahead of the World AI Conference where President Xi Jinping is expected to outline his vision.

World AI Cooperation Organization establishment

• ▪China first proposed the creation of the World AI Cooperation Organization at the 2025 conference
• ▪The headquarters for the World AI Cooperation Organization will be located in Shanghai
• ▪On July 16, 2026, twenty-nine countries signed an agreement to establish the World AI Cooperation Organization
• ▪The World AI Cooperation Organization is an intergovernmental body aimed at promoting international cooperation and global governance in artificial intelligence
• ▪Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres were present at the signing ceremony
• ▪The signing ceremony was held in Shanghai on the eve of the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference

Founding member countries

• ▪The lineup of founding members features major emerging and developing economies from the Global South
• ▪Other founding members from the Global South include Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Laos
• ▪The 29 founding members include Russia, Belarus, Serbia, Cuba, Brazil, and Venezuela
• ▪The founding members also include 10 African and 12 Asian countries

Xi Jinping governance vision

• ▪The establishment of the World AI Cooperation Organization is part of China's plan to compete with the US for influence over the emergence of AI
• ▪Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to outline a vision for Beijing's role in global AI governance at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference