China Proposes Global AI Cooperation Body to Shape Future of Artificial Intelligence -WAIC 2025
China Calls for Unified Global AI Governance
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, during the July 25, WAIC 2025, opening ceremony in Shanghai of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), suggested the establishment of an international cooperation mechanism for artificial intelligence and urged nations to unite efforts in coordinating development and security in the rapidly developing AI industry.
“AI governance remains dispersed. Countries are highly varied, particularly in taking into account rules and regulations,” Li went on, calling for a widely accepted system internationally that encourages openness, inclusiveness, and mutual benefit.
Unless countries cooperate, AI could become an “exclusive game” between a few countries and companies and increase inequality and reduce trust, Li warned.
Growing Global Momentum for AI Regulation
China’s offer comes amidst a wave of global attempts to regulate AI:
- The EU AI Act of 2024 introduced a risk-based stepwise approach focused on transparency, human oversight, and ethical regulation.
- Executive orders were recently signed by President Trump to push deregulation and infrastructure investment to fuel U.S. competitiveness for AI, reversing Biden-era safeguards.
- The United Nations has demanded a worldwide inclusive AI governance framework, cautioning that AI research “cannot be left to the whims of markets alone”.
China’s proposal seeks to position itself somewhere between the poles of regulation, embracing multilateral discussions and shared standards that are compatible with multiple national interests.

China’s Strategic Drivers
The Chinese push to establish an international AI agency is just one aspect of a larger strategic effort under its New Generation AI Development Plan to become the world’s leading center for AI innovation by 2030.
The Prime Minister stressed that AI must “benefit mankind as a whole,” and advocated values of ethics, security, and intelligent development, particularly for the Global South.
China invested heavily in indigenous AI infrastructure, such as:
- The emergence of DeepSeek, a domestic large language model equal in performance and price to Western alternatives.
- The establishment of AI pilot zones in urban centers such as Beijing and Shanghai encourages innovation in health, education, and intelligent governance.
- The implementation of generative AI regulations and the AI Safety Governance Framework emphasizes transparency, equity, and risk control.
Experts see China’s proposal as a diplomatic gesture and also a strategic move to influence international norms ahead of when they are determined elsewhere.
Varied Global Reactions
Global responses to China’s proposal in WAIC have been reservedly mixed:
- France, India, and the African Union have welcomed increased coordination, affirming calls made at the Paris AI Summit this year.
- The United Kingdom and the United States, however, refused to commit to the summit’s appeal for “inclusive and ethical AI,” arguing over-regulation and Chinese surveillance.
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres made AI regulation a “defining test of international cooperation,” and also called on states not to go it alone.
Although Western policymakers remain wary of China’s motives, other leaders have woken up to the need for international cooperation to solve such global challenges as AI bias, fake news, and killer robots.
What Next?
China’s proposal has not yet specified the structure or governance of the proposed AI entity. But Li Qiang described it as open, inclusive, and multilateral, with emphasis on cooperation in research, ethical guidelines, and sharing technology.
Industry executives from Huawei, Tencent, and Baidu also expressed backing for the proposal, with a Baidu representative saying, “AI is too important to be left fragmented“.
The more AI is globalized, the less shared norms may result in instability, rivalry, and tech fragmentation. China’s offer can trigger a larger discussion—if the world is to be willing to talk.
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