China Launches AI Body with Global South Focus

Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the 2026 World AI Conference in Shanghai and announced the establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO). Representatives from 29 countries, including Kazakhstan, Laos, Pakistan, Russia, and Indonesia, signed an agreement to form the intergovernmental body headquartered in Shanghai. Beijing pledged to offer 5,000 AI training and research opportunities to developing nations over the next five years, alongside new cooperation centers targeting ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS members.

The initiative aims to address concerns that the AI revolution could widen the gap between rich and poor nations, offering training and cooperation rather than investment with political conditions. While framed as international collaboration, WAICO also emerges as a counterweight to Western dominance in AI governance amid US-China competition.

The success of WAICO will depend on whether promised resources and technology transfers materialize, as past initiatives have lacked detailed implementation plans. However, the creation of the world’s first intergovernmental organization dedicated to AI cooperation represents a new institutional development.