China: The UN Is a Solid Platform for AI Cooperation

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said the UN is a solid platform for countries to cooperate on artificial intelligence. At a briefing in New York, he stressed that the core question is how to ensure that artificial intelligence develops in ways that benefit all humanity.

The briefing was held about two weeks after the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai, with representatives from more than 70 countries and international organizations taking part. A key backdrop was the launch of the World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO), the first intergovernmental organization focused on AI, whose founding convention has been signed by 29 countries.

Between innovation and regulation

On governance, Fu noted that if you have too much regulation, then you stifle innovation. Striking a balance between encouraging innovation and guarding against risk is an unavoidable challenge for global AI governance. Amandeep Gill, the UN secretary-general's envoy on technology, said the UN should remain the inclusive home for AI governance.

The concerns of developing countries were echoed as well. Moses Jeres of Zambia's UN mission said computing infrastructure is the binding constraint for most African countries, while Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN, called the establishment of WAICO timely and significant.

A four-point vision

At the Shanghai meeting, China put forward a vision centered on innovation-driven development, keeping AI safe and under human control, promoting mutual learning among civilizations, and improving the rules of governance. Around these directions, how to spread the benefits of AI to more countries, especially in the developing world, is becoming a focus of international discussion.

From Shanghai to New York, AI governance is moving quickly onto the multilateral stage. Whether countries can build consensus on the platform of the UN will go a long way toward shaping the future of the technology.