Xi launches China-led World AI Cooperation Organization, headquartered in Shanghai
At the 2026 World AI Conference, Xi Jinping launched the Shanghai-based World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, pledging 5,000 AI training slots for developing countries over five years, joint application centers across ASEAN, the African Union, and BRICS, and meteorological-warning access for 30 nations. The move stakes China's claim to lead AI governance for the Global South, an institutional counterweight to US- and EU-led frameworks over who sets the rules for the technology.
Source: mfa.gov.cn ↗
We should join hands to build a just and equitable system for global AI governance.
Xi Jinping, President of China
Why this matters
- → China creates institutional alternative to Western AI governance frameworks
- → 5,000 training slots signal strategic positioning in Global South leadership
- → Establishes Shanghai as competing hub for AI rule-setting authority
Beijing's AI pivot