China invites European Commission to join its international AI alliance
Beijing has offered the European Commission a place in the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO), adding a new dimension to Europe’s efforts to navigate competing US and Chinese initiatives on AI governance.
China has invited the European Commission to join its international AI alliance, the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO), according to three diplomats briefed on the discussions. The Commission informed national experts of the offer on Tuesday, Rapporteur reported.
Founded by China in July 2026, WAICO aims to promote international cooperation on artificial intelligence. Twenty-eight other countries reportedly joined at its launch, including Russia, Indonesia and Kazakhstan.
The Commission has not confirmed whether it received the offer or said whether it has responded. The Chinese mission to the EU did not reply to questions from Rapporteur. No EU member state has reportedly joined WAICO, while Germany’s digital ministry said in August that it had no plans to do so.
The invitation comes as China and the United States develop international initiatives to strengthen their positions in AI. The EU, meanwhile, is seeking to establish its approach while engaging with both.
The Commission signed the US-led Pax Silica initiative on behalf of the EU in the summer. The initiative focuses on securing supply chains for critical technologies, including the chips needed for AI development. Several European governments have also signed up individually.
A related Pax Silica initiative, the AI Opportunity Statement, focuses specifically on AI opportunities and lists 20 EU governments among its signatories. The Commission itself is not listed as a signatory to that statement.
The two initiatives could put European governments under pressure to navigate competing international frameworks. In August, Reuters reported that Washington was preparing to warn signatories to the AI Opportunity Statement that they could not also join WAICO, potentially formalising the division between the US- and Chinese-led initiatives.
