- Xi Jinping launched a global AI governance plan through the new WAICO alliance.
- China says AI access should remain open and benefit developing nations globally.
- WAICO launched with 29 members, challenging US-led AI cooperation initiatives.
China has moved its AI ambitions from rhetoric to institutional reality, with President Xi Jinping using the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai to announce a competing global governance framework and positioning Beijing as the champion of open-source technology for the developing world.
Direct Challenge to US Influence
Speaking at WAIC, Xi compared artificial intelligence to the steam engine and electricity in historical significance, then used that framing to argue that access to the technology must not become a privilege of wealthy nations.
He warned against the emergence of what he called new historical injustices from unequal AI access, a direct appeal to the Global South that mirrors China’s diplomatic playbook across trade and infrastructure.
Xi laid out a vision where China shares AI expertise with developing countries, leads international standard-setting, and builds the governance institutions that would make Beijing the centre of a new AI order.
“Xi’s message is clear. China is not going to follow anyone on both AI technology and standards. Instead, China is going to lead the world in both aspects,” said George Chen, chair in digital practice at The Asia Group.
New Organisation With 29 Members
The day before Xi’s speech, China launched the World AI Cooperation Organisation, known as WAICO, which immediately signed up 29 member countries. Xi called it a milestone in the history of world AI development.
What might otherwise have read as a policy speech now landed as the announcement of a rival multilateral structure.
The United States has gathered 35 countries behind its own AI Opportunity Statement. Kazakhstan is the only country listed in both, suggesting the two blocs are largely distinct rather than overlapping. Washington-led Pax Silica, which focuses on securing global AI and critical mineral supply chains, is now directly competing with a Beijing-led alternative that emphasises open-source access and Global South inclusion.
China’s Eight-Point AI Action Plan
Alongside Xi’s speech, China’s National Development and Reform Commission published a detailed action plan covering eight areas of AI cooperation.
The plan commits China to promoting cross-border data flows, building shared AI infrastructure powered by green energy, developing open-source ecosystems jointly with other countries, applying AI across healthcare, education, agriculture, and governance, training digital talent globally, co-developing international standards, building joint AI security governance mechanisms, and establishing an AI ethics framework built around privacy, transparency, and human control.
The plan names BRICS, ASEAN, Latin American, and African Union countries as primary targets for China’s AI cooperation, aligning the technology agenda with diplomatic relationships where Beijing already carries significant weight.
What Comes Next
The US and China are preparing for their first government-level AI talks under the Trump administration in the coming weeks. Both sides outlined competing positions at a UN AI dialogue last week, with US officials arguing excessive regulation could hinder innovation while Chinese officials promoted open-source access as a tool for reducing global inequality.
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