China’s Xi Jinping launches new AI alliance: What is it?

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping used the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 17, 2026, to promote a new Beijing-backed artificial intelligence alliance and call for broader international cooperation on the technology. Speaking as China displayed advanced AI products at the conference, Xi argued that AI governance should not be dominated by one country, a message Al Jazeera described as an apparent reference to the United States.

The new body, the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, or WAICO, was formally established on July 16 and is headquartered in Shanghai. According to Al Jazeera, it has 29 founding member countries, including Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, South Africa, Senegal, Russia and Pakistan. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the high-level event where China announced the coalition.

WAICO’s stated purpose is to encourage cross-border AI cooperation and help develop rules intended to make the technology safe and beneficial. Al Jazeera cited analysts who said Beijing is likely to use the alliance to influence global AI regulation, including policy debates at the UN. Xi also emphasized support for developing countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia, framing AI access as an equity issue.

The development matters because AI has become a central front in the wider US-China technology rivalry. Al Jazeera noted that China has invested heavily in domestic AI capacity, while facing US restrictions on advanced semiconductor access. The report also pointed to broader concerns that governments are struggling to regulate AI quickly enough, particularly as its use expands into sensitive areas such as military systems.