WAICO: What China's New 29-Country AI Body Means for Global AI Governance

On July 16, 2026, 29 countries signed an agreement in Shanghai to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), a China-led intergovernmental body launched ahead of the World AI Conference . WAICO is headquartered in Shanghai and positions itself as an open, development-oriented alternative to existing Western-led AI governance frameworks .

Three Operational Goals

WAICO's six guiding principles (AI for good, respect for sovereignty, development orientation, safety and controllability, fairness and inclusivity, and open cooperation) translate into three major operational goals :

1. Deepen innovation cooperation to unleash the AI dividend, including sharing the opportunities from China's modernization with other countries .
2. Promote inclusive development to bridge the global AI divide, addressing the gap between developed and developing nations in compute, data, and talent .
3. Enhance global AI governance and risk management, working toward a unified framework for AI ethics, safety standards, and technical norms .

How WAICO Differs from the G7's Hiroshima AI Process

The Hiroshima AI Process (launched May 2023 by the G7) is a limited-membership initiative focused on risk analysis, guiding principles, and a code of conduct for advanced/generative AI, with participation restricted to G7 members and invited partners . WAICO differs in three structural ways :

• Open membership – WAICO is open to any sovereign state, offering a universal platform rather than an exclusive club .
• Development-first orientation – WAICO prioritizes bridging the "intelligent divide" and sharing AI dividends with developing countries, rather than focusing primarily on risk containment .
• Non-discriminatory technology access – China frames WAICO as a rejection of "technology blocs" and export restrictions, explicitly positioning it against what it calls exclusionary Western frameworks .

Geopolitical Context: US Export Controls and Western Criticism

WAICO's launch is embedded in an intensifying US-China technology rivalry. The US has imposed escalating export controls on advanced AI chips and semiconductor equipment to slow China's AI advancement, including rules under both the Biden and Trump administrations . In early 2026, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced new bipartisan bills to tighten restrictions on AI technology flows to China . These measures have drawn criticism from multiple directions:

• China has accused the US of "abusing export control regulations" and called for Washington to correct "wrongdoings" and cease "discriminatory" practices .
• Western analysts have questioned the efficacy of the controls. A Brookings analysis concluded the US is effectively "out of the AI chip market in China," as Beijing's domestic alternatives have reduced demand for sanctioned American chips . An academic study in Cogent Social Sciences argues US export controls have "inadvertently accelerated China's push for domestic innovation," exposing a structural flaw in the chokepoint strategy .
• Chatham House warned that chip export controls alone "will not prevent China from further developing advanced AI" .
• Public industry disputes have emerged, with prominent tech CEOs debating whether restricting chip access protects US leadership or inadvertently strengthens Beijing's domestic capabilities .

WAICO functions as the institutional embodiment of China's counter-narrative: that global AI governance should be inclusive, development-focused, and free from technology restrictions imposed by any single power. Its launch gives Beijing a diplomatic platform to offer an alternative governance model to countries that feel excluded from Western-led frameworks.