Xi calls for international AI cooperation at Shanghai conference as 29 countries sign new organization agreement
The Facts
- Xi Jinping spoke at the opening of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 17.
- In his speech, Xi said AI development should involve international cooperation and should not be dominated by a single country.
- Xi called for AI governance and oversight that are effective and aimed at preventing loss of control, while keeping AI under human control.
- Xi said countries should oppose broadening national-security restrictions in AI, arguing that one country's security should not be placed above others'.
- China used the conference to present itself as a partner to developing countries on AI, including by announcing training and seminar opportunities and cooperation with regional blocs.
- Twenty-nine countries signed an agreement in Shanghai to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, an intergovernmental body headquartered in Shanghai.
- The conference is also a showcase for China's AI sector, with organizers saying it includes more than 1,000 companies and about 140 forums.
Context
What is WAICO?
WAICO is the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, which 29 countries agreed to establish in Shanghai as an independent intergovernmental international organization focused on AI cooperation and development Haberler,Haberler,India Today.
What did Xi say about AI governance?
Xi said AI oversight and governance should be "precise and effective," that safeguards should be refined to prevent loss of control, and that AI should remain under human control infobae,Yahoo!,РИА Новости.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- AI governance is being built through institutions as well as rhetoric, with access, oversight, and rule-setting carrying real consequences beyond any single summit speech.
- Where Left and Right split
- Whether the story is about broadening who gets access and a seat in AI governance, or about China using institution-building to set the terms of a strategic technology.
How left and right read it
What stands out here is the push to treat AI as a shared global capacity rather than something a single country gets to dominate. Xi paired that with calls for real oversight to prevent loss of control and keep AI under human control, while China also positioned itself as a partner to developing countries and backed a new intergovernmental body with 29 signatories — a reminder that who gets access and who gets a seat in governance are inseparable questions.
The important point here is that China is not just giving a speech about AI; it is building institutions around its own preferred rules. Xi used the conference to argue against broad national-security restrictions, China presented itself as a partner to developing countries, and 29 countries signed onto a new Shanghai-based intergovernmental body — exactly the kind of standard-setting effort that matters if you care about strategic self-reliance and not outsourcing the terms of a critical technology.
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