China launches new global AI body without the West

China has launched a new international organisation meant to set rules for artificial intelligence around the world, and it is based in Shanghai rather than Washington or Brussels. Twenty-nine countries have signed up so far, but the United States and other major Western democracies are not among them.

On 16 July 2026, the day before the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) opened in Shanghai, representatives from 29 countries signed an agreement creating the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, or WAICO. China's foreign minister Wang Yi signed on behalf of China, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres attended the ceremony.

WAICO is meant to work as an independent body, separate from any single government, that helps countries cooperate on AI and develop shared rules for how it is used. The idea was first floated by China's Premier Li Qiang in July 2025. Founding members include Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, South Africa, Senegal, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Laos.

The next day, President Xi Jinping addressed WAIC in person for the first time in the conference's nine-year history. He called WAICO "an important milestone" for AI development and promised 5,000 AI training places for people in developing countries. He said, "AI development should not be a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation," according to Al Jazeera.

Alongside the launch, Huawei showed off its Atlas 950 supercomputer, built from 8,192 chips, and more than 300 AI products were unveiled at the conference, according to Xinhua.

This story is about government-level AI diplomacy, not a product you can use. But it points to something worth knowing: the world is splitting into separate camps when it comes to AI rules, with China building influence among developing nations while the US restricts chip exports to Chinese firms, as it did again in May 2026. Over time, that split could mean different countries end up following different standards for how AI is built, tested and controlled.

Analysts told Al Jazeera that Beijing is likely to use WAICO to push its own, state-led approach to AI governance among Global South countries, many of which hold influential votes at the United Nations. Whether any Western democracies eventually join WAICO, or set up a rival body, is not yet known.