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CHINA PERSPECTIVE
XI LAUNCHES A GLOBAL AI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION, CHALLENGING US DOMINANCE
DOMINANT ANGLE
Beijing presents the new global AI cooperation organization as a shared public good, rather than a direct challenge to the US.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
ANALYSIS
Beijing, July 19, 2026. Twenty-nine countries signed the founding agreement of the World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO) in Shanghai on Thursday, an independent intergovernmental organization that will be headquartered in the Chinese metropolis. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi signed on behalf of Beijing, alongside representatives from Kazakhstan, Laos, Pakistan, Russia, and Indonesia, who are all founding members. UN Secretary-General António Guterres attended the ceremony.
The following day, at the opening of the World AI Conference (WAIC) and the high-level meeting on global AI governance, President Xi Jinping outlined four principles: shared openness and innovation, controlled risk management under human oversight without any country imposing its national security concept on others, respect for the diversity of civilizations, and strengthening the role of the UN in coordinating technical rules and standards. "We must promote broad international cooperation and help global South countries bridge the digital and AI divide, while avoiding the creation of new historical injustices," he stated.
In concrete terms, China announced 5,000 training and seminar places on AI for developing countries over five years, as well as application cooperation centers with ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, CELAC, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the BRICS. The MAZU weather alert system, already used in Pakistan to anticipate floods and droughts, is set to be extended to 30 countries. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also unveiled a five-axis action plan on AI ethics, ranging from risk control to the protection of vulnerable groups.
Academic voices have nuanced the official enthusiasm: Xue Lan from Tsinghua University called for building an "international consensus" to avoid the fragmentation of rules, while former Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar warned that governance should not hinder emerging economies' access to technologies. In a meeting with Guterres, Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing's "firm" support for UN multilateralism, 55 years after China's seat was restored at the UN.
KEY POINTS
- China's capital, Beijing, has taken note as 29 countries signed the founding agreement of the WAICO, an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Shanghai, on July 16.
- China's government, led by Xi Jinping, has announced 5,000 AI training positions for developing countries over five years and plans to extend the MAZU weather alert system to 30 countries.
- The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has unveiled an international AI ethics action plan, structured around five axes, which China presents as a public good.
COGNITIVE BIASES IDENTIFIED
China's official-centric framing: articles widely relay statements from Xi Jinping and state agencies (CGTN, ECNS) without direct Western counterpoints.
Preference for Global South voices: Pakistan, Mongolia, and ASEAN/BRICS partnerships are highlighted as beneficiaries, with minimal coverage of reactions from Western capitals.
Low coverage of governance criticisms: concerns relayed by the SCMP (Xue Lan, Enkhbayar) remain marginal compared to the volume of institutional coverage.
SOURCES (4)
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