China's Xi pushes for global AI body at APEC in counter to U.S. (www.cnbc.com)

Chinese President Xi Jinping used the APEC leaders’ meeting to unveil and promote a proposal for a “World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization,” framing it as a multilateral governance body that could set rules, boost cooperation and make AI a “public good” for all countries. The initiative — which Chinese officials say could be based in Shanghai — was presented as part of a broader push to position China as an alternative to U.S.-led trade and tech frameworks. The move comes amid a recent one-year deal between Xi and President Trump to partially roll back some trade and technology controls, and against Washington’s stated reluctance to cede AI regulation to international institutions. Technically and geopolitically, the proposal signals Beijing’s intent to shape standards around data flows, model deployment and access to compute, at a time when advanced chips from companies like Nvidia underpin the global AI boom while China pursues “algorithmic sovereignty” via lower-cost domestic models (e.g., DeepSeek). If realized, a China-hosted AI governance body could influence cross-border rules on model safety, export controls, and green-tech circulation (another Xi priority), intensifying competition over norms, supply chains, and who sets the technical guardrails for next‑generation AI. APEC members did approve joint AI-related declarations at the summit; China will host APEC 2026 in Shenzhen, a strategic manufacturing and tech hub.