China Founds WIKO: A 29-Nation AI Body With No Western Members

On July 18, at the World AI Conference in Shanghai, Chinese President Xi Jinping officially announced the creation of the World Intelligence Cooperation Organization — WIKO. The founding members are 29 countries: Russia, Brazil, South Africa, Pakistan, Indonesia, and other nations from the Global South and Asia. No Western country joined the organization. WIKO's headquarters will be in Shanghai.

At the launch, Xi Jinping pledged 5,000 AI training slots for specialists from developing countries over the next five years. China announced partnerships with ASEAN, the African Union, and BRICS, and the country's Smart Economy has already surpassed 1 trillion yuan (roughly $140 billion). The idea for WIKO was first floated in 2025 — by mid-2026 it had taken shape as a fully realized international institution.

WIKO is China's most direct attempt yet to build a parallel global AI governance system outside Western influence. Beijing has openly criticized broad appeals to national security as a tool for restricting access to chips and technology — a clear reference to American sanctions. By uniting a significant portion of the Global South under its own institutional roof, China is assembling a bloc capable of competing with the standards promoted by the U.S., the EU, and their allies.