Twenty-nine countries have signed an agreement establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, creating a new intergovernmental body intended to strengthen international coordination and global governance in artificial intelligence.
Representatives signed the agreement in Shanghai, becoming the organization’s founding members, according to Reuters.
The signatories included Russia, Belarus, Serbia, Cuba, Brazil and Venezuela, alongside 10 African and 12 Asian countries.
Kazakhstan, Laos, Pakistan, Indonesia and China were also identified among the founding members. The agreement represents one of the most significant steps taken by Beijing to shape the international institutions and principles governing the development and use of AI.
The organization, known as WAICO, will operate as an independent intergovernmental international body headquartered in Shanghai.
International body formed
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi signed the founding agreement on behalf of the Chinese government. Representatives from the other participating countries signed during the same ceremony.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres attended alongside representatives of participating governments and international organizations, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency.
The agreement states that the organization will uphold the purposes of the United Nations Charter and adopt an approach based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.
It will also follow a people-centered model and seek to ensure that artificial intelligence remains beneficial, safe and fair.
WAICO is expected to promote cooperation among governments on AI development and governance while encouraging the healthy and orderly advancement of the technology for the benefit of humanity.
The organization could provide participating states with a permanent forum for discussing AI standards, technical development, accessibility, safety and the international consequences of rapidly advancing systems.
China advances proposal
The agreement follows a proposal introduced by China during the 2025 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai.
At that gathering, Chinese Premier Li Qiang called for the establishment of an international organization capable of coordinating AI development and governance amid growing differences between national regulatory systems.
China proposed WAICO in July 2025, warning that fragmented international approaches could hinder the technology’s development and create barriers between countries.
Beijing argued that AI should not become an exclusive resource controlled by a small number of powerful countries or companies. It also called for greater access to infrastructure, technical knowledge and development opportunities, particularly for countries in the Global South.
No country had formally announced its membership when China initially introduced the proposal. Thursday’s agreement therefore transformed the initiative from a proposed framework into an organization with 29 founding members.
The signing ceremony was held on the eve of the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai.
Global governance ambitions
Chinese President Xi Jinping was expected to use the conference to set out Beijing’s broader vision for international AI governance and China’s role in developing global standards.
At the 2026 conference, Xi called for wider international efforts to govern AI, promote open-source technology and improve access to artificial intelligence in developing economies.
He argued that AI could produce changes comparable to earlier transformative technologies, including electricity and the steam engine, while warning that unequal access risked widening development gaps between countries.
Xi presented open-source AI technology as a global public good and called for stronger cooperation with ASEAN, BRICS countries, Latin America and the African Union.
He also emphasized the need for safety mechanisms capable of keeping advanced AI systems under human control, combining China’s support for wider technological access with concerns about increasingly autonomous systems.
The establishment of WAICO gives China a permanent institutional platform through which it can pursue those objectives.
Access and development
WAICO’s creation comes as governments compete not only over the development of advanced AI models but also over the international rules, technical standards and supply chains that will shape their use.
China has positioned its approach around development, national sovereignty, open-source technology and broader access for emerging economies.
The organization’s founding membership, which includes substantial representation from Africa and Asia, reflects that emphasis on the Global South.
China has announced plans to provide 5,000 AI training opportunities for developing countries over five years and to expand cooperation through international research and development programs.
It has also offered AI-supported meteorological technology to 30 countries, illustrating how artificial intelligence can be incorporated into wider development partnerships covering areas such as agriculture, disaster preparedness and climate monitoring.
WAICO could provide a structure for coordinating similar programs, although detailed information about its governance, budget, voting procedures and enforcement mechanisms has not yet been made public.
Competing global frameworks
The new organization joins an increasingly crowded international AI governance landscape.
The United Nations General Assembly previously approved the establishment of an independent 40-member scientific panel on AI to assess the technology’s risks, opportunities and social and economic effects.
That panel was designed to reduce knowledge gaps and help countries participate more effectively in discussions about AI governance. Its creation received support from 117 countries, while the United States and Paraguay voted against it and Ukraine abstained.
The Council of Europe has pursued a different approach through its Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, which focuses on aligning AI development and use with human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
Global AI summits have also produced declarations supporting accessibility, safety, transparency and sustainable development, although governments have not always agreed on how those principles should be implemented.
WAICO differs by creating a standing intergovernmental organization rather than relying solely on voluntary summit declarations or temporary coordination mechanisms.
Tech rivalry deepens
The agreement also highlights intensifying competition between China and the United States over international AI leadership.
The United States has promoted a comparatively market-driven approach centered on innovation, private-sector development and trusted technology supply chains.
China has placed greater emphasis on state-led coordination, open-source models, infrastructure support and cooperation with emerging economies.
Washington and several partner countries have also developed initiatives intended to secure AI and semiconductor supply chains and reduce reliance on Chinese technology.
The formation of WAICO provides Beijing and its partners with a separate platform for discussing international AI standards, development priorities and access to computing resources.
However, the organization’s practical influence will depend on whether it attracts additional members, establishes credible technical expertise and translates broad principles into programs that participating governments can implement.
Its relationship with existing United Nations institutions and other international AI frameworks will also help determine whether it reduces fragmentation or creates another competing layer of global governance.
Implementation questions remain
The founding agreement establishes WAICO’s intergovernmental status and Shanghai headquarters, but several operational details remain unclear.
The participating countries have not yet disclosed the organization’s leadership structure, financial arrangements, membership requirements or procedures for adopting decisions.
It is also unclear whether WAICO will develop binding rules, voluntary recommendations, shared technical standards or capacity-building programs.
These decisions will shape whether the organization functions primarily as a diplomatic forum or develops a more direct role in regulating AI systems and coordinating national policies.
The participation of 29 founding countries gives the organization a substantial initial base. However, its international standing will ultimately depend on its ability to engage countries beyond its original membership and cooperate with established multilateral institutions.
For now, the agreement marks China’s most concrete move toward building a permanent international body focused specifically on AI cooperation and governance.
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