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Twenty-nine countries sign agreement to establish global AI cooperation body

By Thomson Reuters Jul 16, 2026 | 9:39 AM

BEIJING, July 16 (Reuters) – Twenty-nine countries on Thursday signed an agreement to establish the ​World AI Cooperation Organization, ‌an intergovernmental body China says aims to promote international cooperation and global governance in artificial intelligence.

• Representatives ‌from ​the 29 ⁠countries, including Russia, Belarus, ⁠Serbia, Cuba, Brazil and Venezuela, as well as 10 African and 12 Asian countries, ​signed the agreement as founding members.

• The organization’s headquarters ⁠will be located ⁠in Shanghai, Chinese state ​agency Xinhua said.

• The signing ​ceremony was held in Shanghai on ‌the eve of the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference, where Chinese President Xi Jinping ⁠is expected to outline an ambitious vision for Beijing’s role in global ⁠AI ‌governance.

• China proposed the ⁠creation of a World ​AI ‌Cooperation Organization at last ​year’s ⁠conference but no countries had formally announced membership until now.

(Reporting by Shi Bu, Xiuhao Chen and Laurie Chen; Editing by ​Sharon Singleton)