Twenty-nine countries signed a founding treaty for the World AI Cooperation Organization on July 16, with China at the helm.
China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, signed on Beijing's behalf. UN Secretary-General António Guterres attended the ceremony, lending the event institutional weight. Russia is among the founding members. Beijing says WAICO exists to promote international AI cooperation and global governance.
The creation of a rival multilateral AI body matters because AI governance is now a geopolitical contest, not just a technical one. China has long positioned itself as an alternative to Western-dominated standards bodies, and WAICO gives it a dedicated institutional home for AI — one it shapes from the founding. The UN Secretary-General's presence at the signing suggests the organization won't be easily dismissed.
Whether WAICO becomes a genuine governance forum or a diplomatic photo-op with a budget line is still to be determined.