China Proposes New Global AI Cooperation Organisation

Reuters

Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks during the opening ceremony of World Artificial Intelligence Confere

China has announced plans to establish an international organisation aimed at enhancing global cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI), positioning itself as a counterweight to the United States in the intensifying race for leadership in the transformative technology.

Speaking at the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Saturday, 25 July 2025, Chinese Premier Li Qiang outlined Beijing’s vision for coordinated international efforts to regulate AI and share technological advancements.

Without directly naming the United States, Li warned against allowing AI to become the "exclusive game" of a handful of countries and corporations. His remarks appeared to allude to Washington’s latest moves to limit China’s access to advanced AI technologies.

“We must ensure that all countries and companies have equal rights to use AI,” Li said. “China is willing to share its experience and achievements, particularly with countries in the Global South.”

His comments came just days after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration unveiled a new AI blueprint designed to dramatically expand American AI exports to allies, as part of efforts to maintain a strategic advantage over China.

Li also addressed the growing challenges of regulating AI, citing global fragmentation in governance frameworks and supply chain issues, including limited access to high-performance AI chips and restrictions on international talent exchange.

“Overall global AI governance remains fragmented,” he said. “We must strengthen coordination to create a widely accepted governance framework as soon as possible.”

The Shanghai event, held amid increasing U.S.-China technological tensions, gathered policymakers, scientists, and business leaders. Attendees included over 800 companies showcasing more than 3,000 cutting-edge products, 40 large language models, 50 AI-enabled devices, and 60 advanced robots. Key Chinese firms such as Huawei, Alibaba and emerging players like humanoid robot maker Unitree featured prominently, alongside global giants including Tesla, Amazon and Alphabet.

China’s Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, addressing representatives from over 30 countries—including Russia, South Africa, Germany, South Korea and Qatar—said the proposed organisation would promote practical international cooperation on AI. He added that Shanghai was under consideration as the host city for its headquarters.

In tandem with the announcement, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published an action plan for global AI governance, encouraging collaboration between governments, research institutions, enterprises and international organisations. The plan also proposes the development of a cross-border open-source AI community.

Notable speakers at the conference included Anne Bouverot, the French President’s special envoy for AI, renowned computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as the “Godfather of AI”, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a regular presence at past editions, did not participate this year.



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