China on Friday positioned the United Nations as the “primary avenue” for global AI governance, urging broad international cooperation on a wide range of AI-related issues and on making AI development more inclusive.
The UN as the central platform for AI governance
At a briefing hosted by China’s mission to the UN, Ambassador Fu Cong said Beijing intends to consult and cooperate with other countries through the UN’s “broad platform” on major questions about the future of AI governance. Fu emphasized principles of openness, open-source cooperation, mutual benefit, and shared contribution.
This briefing came two weeks after the World AI Conference and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai. Fu characterized the Shanghai events not only as forums for exchange but also as mechanisms to facilitate the global flow of innovation resources needed for AI development.
WAICO: a new intergovernmental AI body
The Shanghai meetings launched the World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO), which Fu described as “the first intergovernmental organization dedicated to AI.” The founding charter was signed by representatives of 29 countries, and Fu said “all countries are invited to participate.” He framed WAICO as complementary to UN efforts, focusing on capacity building, policy dialogue, technical cooperation, and AI applications.
Policy directions and regulation balance
Fu reiterated four priorities set out by President Xi Jinping for building a fair and equitable AI governance system: promote innovation-driven development, ensure AI safety and human control, encourage mutual learning among civilizations, and improve global governance. Asked about regulation, he stressed the need to balance innovation and risk, warning that excessive regulation would stifle innovation while unfettered corporate freedom would expose societies to AI’s inherent dangers.
UN’s central role reaffirmed
Amandeep Gill, the UN Secretary‑General’s envoy for technology, described the Shanghai conference as “qualitatively different” and an important step toward making AI capacity building an international priority. Gill said Secretary‑General António Guterres is focused on AI capacity, security, and sustainability, and he urged complementary action among initiatives, with the UN remaining “the inclusive home” for AI governance.
Developing countries’ demands: compute and more
More than 70 countries and international organizations were represented at the briefing. Moses Jeres, cyber/digital adviser for Zambia’s mission, said the main constraint for most African countries is access to compute, not talent or ambition, and welcomed Shanghai commitments on compute infrastructure and normative frameworks. Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said WAICO’s creation is timely and stressed that developing countries need access not only to finished AI products but also to data, compute, models, tools, and technical assistance to build and adapt AI locally.
From pledges to concrete implementation
Speakers urged that Shanghai’s initiatives be translated into concrete capacity‑building support for developing countries so AI becomes more inclusive and accessible. Fu concluded by saying China is ready to strengthen political coordination, institutional cooperation, and practical collaboration with the UN to support a larger UN role in global AI governance.
Taken together, the interventions underscored a shared aspiration: to make AI governance an international project centered on capacity building and cooperation, with the United Nations as the converging hub.
