China’s Xi Jinping launches new AI partnership: What is it? | | Technology News

It was an artificial intelligence conference with real world messages.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday urged countries to cooperate on artificial intelligence and ensure that no country dominates technology – a challenge for the United States.

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Xi spoke at a major technology conference in Shanghai on Friday, where China showcased advanced technology that rivaled that of the US.

The two countries are at war over technology and AI and see each other’s progress in these areas as a deliberate attempt to disrupt the other.

As China’s AI models expand globally, Beijing appears to be positioning itself as the leader of a new global AI order, challenging the US’s ability to develop and control the rapidly advancing technology.

At the center of this strategy is a new alliance of 29 countries that China announced on Thursday, called the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), at a high-level meeting attended by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Here’s what we know:

What did Xi say?

Xi, speaking at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, called on countries to embrace the “historical opportunities” offered by open AI.

He said that China has taken steps to ensure access to AI power for developing countries to prevent “new historical injustices” and announced Beijing’s plans to continue cooperation with countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

“The development of AI should not be an individual effort by one country, but a symphony of global cooperation,” Xi said.

“We must together resist expanding the concept of national security in the field of AI or putting the security of one country above that of others.”

Xi also emphasized the importance of a “people-oriented” approach to AI that ensures that “AI is always under the supervision of people” through the use of safety measures such as regulations, technical evaluation, early warning and emergency response systems.

What is WAICO?

The intergovernmental organization was launched on July 16, although Beijing has been working on an international AI partnership since last year.

Its goals are to promote international cooperation and implement AI laws in all countries that ensure that the technology is beneficial and safe for society.

Based in Shanghai, WAICO’s 29 founding countries include several major countries in the Global South, including Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, South Africa, Senegal, Russia and Pakistan.

Analysts speculate that Beijing will use the agreement to shape how AI policy is developed at the UN.

Why is this important?

AI is an important pillar of China’s economy. Beijing has invested heavily in building a sustainable domestic ecosystem, from chip manufacturing to consumer electronics.

This has fueled the “Chip War” with the US as a race to control the development of chip-based technology such as advanced weapons and AI-controlled systems.

Although Beijing lags behind the US in terms of access to high-quality semiconductors, it currently has instead of powering big data required to train and run AI models. China also controls the production of the world’s most important mineral needed to make chips.

The availability of cheap electricity has given China the opportunity to meet AI’s strong demand. Beijing already produces twice as much electricity as the US, a lead that is expected to widen amid government-led investments in the country’s power grid.

China is currently facing technology restrictions from the US, while Washington is citing national security concerns.

Beijing, however, sees the US move as an attempt to thwart its efforts on AI.

In May, the US Department of Commerce confirmed restrictions for shipments of complex semiconductors to Chinese corporate entities that have headquarters, or have a parent company in China. Beijing has retaliated by banning the export of dual-use technology and essential minerals to US companies.

Countries have so far struggled to come to terms with AI laws and its rapid growth. Concerns about the use of AI in areas such as military warfare are causing the biggest debates in the field of governance.

China’s leadership in the AI ​​conference and the WAICO collaboration now put Beijing in a good position to reshape its AI policies.

Where does WAICO fit in?

Chinese Premier Li Qiang unveiled plans for WAICO in July 2025.

Analysts at the time thought that Beijing was shifting from exporting Chinese AI equipment to developing global AI policies in order to show China’s interests in the world – ahead of the US.

Many point to how China has been wary of the Internet, for example, because of its origins in the US and its established brands, so it has tried to protect itself at home.

Acting ahead of the global adoption of AI could help China reverse the trend, experts say, especially with the help of its middle-class and low-income allies whose numbers will weigh heavily at the UN.

“With Washington rapidly moving away from cyber and AI systems around the world and withdrawing its financial support from cyber negotiations, Beijing wants to demonstrate its global leadership,” policy analyst Arindrajit Basu wrote in a research for the US think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“In doing so, he hopes to receive buy-in for his visionary technological innovation from the Global South,” he added.