# World AI Cooperation Organization

> Source: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Artificial_Intelligence_Cooperation_Organization>
> Published: 2026-09-15 02:37:51+00:00

# World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization

| World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization 世界人工智能合作组织 |  | 
|---|---|
| Headquarters | [Shanghai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai) , China | 
| Type | [Intergovernmental organization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intergovernmental_organization) | 
| Membership | 37 member states | 
| Leaders |  | 
| • Governing body  | Council of Member States | 
| • Executive body  | Secretariat | 
| Establishment |  | 
| • WAICO Agreement signing  | July 16, 2026 | 

The **World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization** (**WAICO**) is an [international organization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_organization) focused on [artificial intelligence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence) (AI) established in July 2026. Proposed by [China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China) prior to its 2026 [World Artificial Intelligence Conference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Artificial_Intelligence_Conference), it is headquartered in [Shanghai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai) and oriented toward the [Global South](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_North_and_Global_South). 

The organization is viewed by analysts as a rival to the US-led [Pax Silica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_Silica) initiative, aiming to counterbalance Western influence across global [supply chains](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_chain) for [rare-earth elements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare-earth_element), [semiconductors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiconductor), and AI governance.[\[1\]](#cite_note-:2-1)

## History

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The World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization was first proposed by [Chinese Premier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_of_China) [Li Qiang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Qiang) in July 2025.[\[2\]](#cite_note-2)[\[3\]](#cite_note-aljazeera-3)[CCP General Secretary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Secretary_of_the_Chinese_Communist_Party) [Xi Jinping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Jinping) reiterated the proposal at the [32nd meeting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APEC_South_Korea_2025) of the [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia-Pacific_Economic_Cooperation) in October 2025.[\[4\]](#cite_note-:0-4)

On 16 July 2026, 29 countries signed the agreement on the creation of the WAICO on the eve of the annual [World Artificial Intelligence Conference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Artificial_Intelligence_Conference) in Shanghai.<sup>[\[5\]](#cite_note-5)</sup> United Nations Secretary-General [António Guterres](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/António_Guterres) attended the signing ceremony as an invited guest.<sup>[\[6\]](#cite_note-6)</sup> Chinese Foreign Minister [Wang Yi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Yi) signed the agreement alongside senior representatives from founding members, including Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister [Jaslan Mädiev](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaslan_Mädiev), Pakistani Foreign Minister [Ishaq Dar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishaq_Dar), Russian official [Maxim Oreshkin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim_Oreshkin), and Indonesian Coordinating Minister [Airlangga Hartarto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airlangga_Hartarto).<sup>[\[7\]](#cite_note-:1-7)</sup> The establishment of WAICO was widely seen as Beijing's strategic response to the US-led [Pax Silica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_Silica) framework.[\[1\]](#cite_note-:2-1)

The agreement establishes WAICO as a China-led [intergovernmental organization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_organization), designed to be open to all sovereign states while primarily focusing on digital development in the [Global South](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_North_and_Global_South). China's positioning within the organization heavily emphasizes the adoption of [open-source artificial intelligence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_artificial_intelligence).[\[8\]](#cite_note-8)[\[9\]](#cite_note-9)<sup>[\[3\]](#cite_note-aljazeera-3)</sup> This focus coincided with increasing international adoption of Chinese open-weight models, such as those from [DeepSeek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeepSeek), [Kimi](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimi_(AI)>), and [Z.ai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z.ai), which grew to account for around 40% of token usage among surveyed US firms by mid-2026.[\[10\]](#cite_note-l247-10)

Following the initial ceremony, several additional states acceded to the agreement in late July 2026, including Iran, whose ambassador [Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdolreza_Rahmani_Fazli) signed the charter following bilateral meetings with Deputy Foreign Minister [Liu Bin](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Bin_(diplomat)>).[\[11\]](#cite_note-irna-11)

## Membership

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Twenty-nine countries signed the founding agreement on 16 July 2026 in Shanghai, followed by eight additional signatories later that month, bringing the total membership to 37 countries.

### Founding member states

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The 29 countries that signed the founding agreement on 16 July 2026:[\[12\]](#cite_note-12)

### Later signatory members

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30 July 2026:

31 July 2026:[\[13\]](#cite_note-:4-13)

### Observer states

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-  [Bangladesh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh) – Joined as an observer state on 1 August 2026<sup>[\[15\]](#cite_note-15)</sup>

### Invitees

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## Structure

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As specified by the founding treaty, WAICO consists of a [council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council) and a [secretariat](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat_(administrative_office)>).<sup>[\[17\]](#cite_note-:3-17)</sup> The council consists of all member states and serves as the highest decision-making authority, responsible for admitting new members and observers, appointing the secretary-general and deputy secretaries-general, and establishing subsidiary bodies or [working groups](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_group).[\[17\]](#cite_note-:3-17)

The secretariat is headed by one [secretary-general](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary-general) and two deputy secretaries-general, each serving three-year terms.[\[17\]](#cite_note-:3-17)

## Reactions

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Arindrajit Basu, writing for the [Carnegie Endowment for International Peace](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Endowment_for_International_Peace), suggested that the Chinese government might intend to use WAICO to expand its network of bilateral AI cooperation centers and shape multilateral AI policy discussions at the [United Nations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations).[\[18\]](#cite_note-18)

Science policy analyst Elizabeth Gibney, writing in [*Nature*](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_(journal)>) in 2025, speculated that WAICO would likely not govern the international AI industry in an enforceable manner, but rather focus on technical cooperation and capacity-building.[\[4\]](#cite_note-:0-4)

Indonesian digital and telecommunications analyst Heru Sutadi highlighted that the global AI ecosystem remains heavily concentrated in hardware, compute capacity, and foundational models dominated by a handful of Western tech firms. In an interview with *Majalah ICT*, he warned that this risks creating a severe "AI divide", and commented:[\[19\]](#cite_note-19)

WAICO must be more than just an international organization discussing AI developments. It must be a platform that champions the interests of the Global South so that it is not left further behind in the artificial intelligence revolution. AI must be a technology that empowers all countries, not just strengthens the dominance of a handful of global technology companies.

## See also

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## References

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1. [1](#cite_ref-:2_1-0)[2](#cite_ref-:2_1-1) Chen, Laurie; Hall, Casey; Baptista, Eduardo.["Xi pitches China as leader of new global AI order, challenging US dominance"](https://reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinas-xi-promotes-chinas-commitment-ai-access-speech-shanghai-conference-2026-07-17) .*Reuters* .
2. [↑](#cite_ref-2)["What to expect from China's global AI conference"](https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/explainer-what-to-expect-from-china-s-global-ai-conference/4000542) .*[Anadolu Agency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anadolu_Agency)* . 2026-07-16. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
3. [1](#cite_ref-aljazeera_3-0)[2](#cite_ref-aljazeera_3-1)["China's Xi Jinping launches new AI alliance: What is it?"](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/17/chinas-xi-jinping-launches-new-ai-alliance-what-is-it) .*[Al Jazeera](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Jazeera)* . 17 July 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
4. [1](#cite_ref-:0_4-0)[2](#cite_ref-:0_4-1) Gibney, Elizabeth (2025-12-01). "China wants to lead the world on AI regulation — will the plan work?".*[Nature](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_(journal)>)* .**648** (8094): 503–505.[doi](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_(identifier)>) :[10.1038/d41586-025-03902-y](https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fd41586-025-03902-y) .[ISSN](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)>)[1476-4687](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1476-4687) .[PMID](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PMID_(identifier)>)[41326711](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41326711) .
5. [↑](#cite_ref-5)["Twenty-nine countries sign agreement to establish global AI cooperation body"](https://www.reuters.com/world/china/twenty-nine-countries-sign-agreement-establish-global-ai-cooperation-body-2026-07-16/) .*[Reuters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuters)* . 16 July 2026. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
6. [↑](#cite_ref-6)["成立世界人工智能合作组织协定签署仪式在上海举行"](http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0716/c1001-40762197.html) [The signing ceremony for the agreement to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization was held in Shanghai.].*[People's Daily](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Daily)* (in Chinese). 16 July 2026. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
7. [↑](#cite_ref-:1_7-0)["Update: 29 countries sign agreement on establishing World AI Cooperation Organization"](https://english.news.cn/20260716/b0449aa2133542868e310fdc45ef2969/c.html) .*[Xinhua News Agency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinhua_News_Agency)* . 16 July 2026. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
8. [↑](#cite_ref-8) Guey, William; Bougault, Pierrick; Zhang, Wei; Moura, Vitor D. de; Gomes, José O. (2026-06-22). "World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO): Mapping an Emerging Institution in the Global AI Governance Regime Complex".[arXiv](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArXiv_(identifier)>) :[2606.23860](https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.23860) [[cs.CY](https://arxiv.org/archive/cs.CY) ].
9. [↑](#cite_ref-9) Stan, Alina Maria (2026-07-16).["World AI Cooperation Organization founded in Shanghai"](https://thenextweb.com/news/china-world-ai-cooperation-organization-waico-signed) .*TNW* . Retrieved 2026-07-17.
10. [↑](#cite_ref-l247_10-0) Nicol-Schwarz, Kai (2026-07-07).["Chinese AI models are gaining ground with U.S. companies as OpenAI, Anthropic costs surge"](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/07/chinese-ai-models-costs-us-openai-anthropic.html) .*CNBC* . Retrieved 2026-07-27.
11. [1](#cite_ref-irna_11-0)[2](#cite_ref-irna_11-1)["Iran joins world AI cooperation organization"](https://en.irna.ir/news/86224376/Iran-joins-world-AI-cooperation-organization) .*IRNA* . 31 July 2026. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
12. [↑](#cite_ref-12)["世界人工智能合作组织协定签署仪式举行，总部设中国上海"](https://blog.creaders.net/u/37878/202607/557551.html#) [Signing ceremony held for the Agreement on the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization; headquarters to be based in Shanghai, China.].*Creaders* . 16 July 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
13. [1](#cite_ref-:4_13-0)[2](#cite_ref-:4_13-1) Xiong, Reid (2026-08-05).["WAICO Signatories Reach 37: Which Countries Have Signed"](https://southwardtech.com/waico-signatories-37-countries/) . Retrieved 2026-09-03.
14. [↑](#cite_ref-14)["Sudan Signs Agreement Establishing World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization as a Founding Member State – Beijing"](https://tpra.gov.sd/en/sudan-signs-agreement-establishing-world-artificial-intelligence-cooperation-organization-as-a-founding-member-state/) .*TPRA Sudan* . 2026-08-01. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
15. [↑](#cite_ref-15)["Bangladesh to join global AI body as observer | The Daily Star"](https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/bangladesh-join-global-ai-body-observer-4237571) .*The Daily Star* . Retrieved 2026-09-03.
16. [↑](#cite_ref-16) Lee, Li Ying (9 September 2026).["Singapore considering invitation to join China-led AI bloc"](https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2026/09/09/singapore-considering-invitation-to-join-china-led-ai-bloc) .*TheStar* . Retrieved 9 September 2026.
17. [1](#cite_ref-:3_17-0)[2](#cite_ref-:3_17-1)[3](#cite_ref-:3_17-2)["Agreement on the Establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization | Digital Watch Observatory"](https://dig.watch/resource/agreement-on-the-establishment-of-the-world-artificial-intelligence-cooperation-organization) .[Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/archive/nDVxA) from the original on 28 August 2026. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
18. [↑](#cite_ref-18) Basu, Arindrajit (21 May 2026).["China's Pivot on Global AI"](https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2026/05/chinas-pivot-on-global-ai) .*Carnegie Endowment for International Peace* .[Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20260523200522/https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2026/05/chinas-pivot-on-global-ai) from the original on 23 May 2026.
19. [↑](#cite_ref-19)["Indonesia Joins WAICO, Digital Expert Heru Sutadi: WAICO Hopes to Develop Global AI That Is More Beneficial, Fair, Transparent, Safe, and Inclusive"](https://www.majalahict.com/indonesia-gabung-ke-waico-pakar-digital-heru-sutadi-lewat-waico-diharapkan-pengembangan-ai-dunia-yang-lebih-bermanfaat-adil-transparan-aman-dan-inklusif/) .*Majalah ICT* . 18 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.