29 countries sign agreement to establish World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation in Shanghai

SHANGHAI: Twenty-nine countries signed an agreement in Shanghai today establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation.

Under the terms of the agreement, the organisation will be an independent intergovernmental international organisation headquartered in Shanghai.

The pact was signed on the sidelines of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in China.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi signed on behalf of the Chinese government, alongside representatives from 29 countries, including Kazakhstan, Laos, Pakistan, Russia and Indonesia, making those countries founding members of the organisation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attends the signing ceremony and signs the agreement on establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO) on behalf of the Chinese government in Shanghai, east China, on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Photo: Xinhua via RSS

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai, east China, on July 17, 2026. Photo: Xinhua via RSS

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai, east China, on July 17, 2026. Photo: Xinhua via RSS

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hold a banquet to welcome international dignitaries to attend the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai, east China, on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Photo: Xinhua via RSS

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was among representatives of countries and international organisations who attended the signing ceremony.

According to the agreement, the organisation will uphold the purposes of the United Nations Charter, promote extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, and adopt a people-centred approach.

The organisation aims to strengthen international cooperation and global governance in artificial intelligence, ensuring that AI is beneficial, safe and fair, and to promote its healthy and orderly development for the benefit of all humanity.

BY RSS/QNA