# World AI Conference in Shanghai opens with Xi Jinping keynote; 29 nations found WAICO

> China used its World Artificial Intelligence Conference, held in Shanghai from July 17 to 20, to make an unusually high profile statement about who should shape the rules of AI. Xi Jinping delivered his first ever keynote on the subject, framing development around a people centered approach and what he called just and equitable global governance, language aimed squarely at Silicon Valley's move fast reputation. The concrete outcome was institutional. Alongside the speeches, 29 nations founded the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, with delegates from more than 100 countries and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in attendance. Russian and ASEAN representatives took part, and the new body is positioned as an alternative to US led standard setting. The context is a widening tech divide. As Washington tightens chip export controls, Beijing is pushing domestic AI sovereignty and courting partners who want data control and non Western technical standards. Whether WAICO becomes a real coordinating force or mainly a diplomatic banner is unclear, but the ambition is plain, to put China at the center of how the world governs a technology it does not want the United States to define alone.

_Section: [Daily AI Updates](https://www.wortins.com/daily-ai) · Source: China Ministry of Foreign Affairs · Published Thursday, July 23, 2026_

## Wortins' read

China used its World Artificial Intelligence Conference, held in Shanghai from July 17 to 20, to make an unusually high profile statement about who should shape the rules of AI. Xi Jinping delivered his first ever keynote on the subject, framing development around a people centered approach and what he called just and equitable global governance, language aimed squarely at Silicon Valley's move fast reputation. The concrete outcome was institutional. Alongside the speeches, 29 nations founded the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, with delegates from more than 100 countries and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in attendance. Russian and ASEAN representatives took part, and the new body is positioned as an alternative to US led standard setting. The context is a widening tech divide. As Washington tightens chip export controls, Beijing is pushing domestic AI sovereignty and courting partners who want data control and non Western technical standards. Whether WAICO becomes a real coordinating force or mainly a diplomatic banner is unclear, but the ambition is plain, to put China at the center of how the world governs a technology it does not want the United States to define alone.

## Source

[Read the full story at China Ministry of Foreign Affairs](https://www.mfa.gov.cn/eng/xw/zyjh/202607/t20260717_11984910.html)

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