Pakistan signed the agreement on the establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO) in Shanghai on Thursday, with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar representing the country, according to the Foreign Office (FO).
“Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar signed the agreement on the establishment of the WAICO on behalf of Pakistan at the signing ceremony held today in Shanghai, China,” the FO said in a post on X.
As a founding member of WAICO, Pakistan emphasized its dedication to fostering international collaboration in artificial intelligence, with a focus on advancing the interests of the Global South, the FO stated.
“Pakistan looks forward to working closely with fellow WAICO member states in efforts to close the global AI gap and promote equitable access to AI to drive development for all,” the FO added.
Earlier that day, FM Dar arrived in China to sign the agreement on behalf of Pakistan. China originally proposed the creation of WAICO last year to address AI governance challenges.
During his visit, the FO noted that Dar will also participate in the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026 and engage with global leaders to promote inclusive AI governance.
He is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with Chinese officials to address mutual interests and strengthen bilateral cooperation.
Meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister
During the Shanghai visit, FM Dar met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of WAIC, the FO reported.
The leaders reviewed the full spectrum of Pakistan-China bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.
The FO stated that the meeting emphasized advancing high-quality development under CPEC 2.0 and enhancing cooperation in trade, investment, science and technology, the digital economy, and artificial intelligence.
Both sides discussed regional and global developments, confirming their resolve to maintain close coordination on issues of mutual interest.
The FO added that the meeting reinforced strategic cooperation between the two nations and reflected their shared commitment to innovation-driven development and emerging technologies.
Dar Arrives in China
Earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Shanghai, China for a two-day visit to sign an agreement for Pakistan to join WAICO as a founding member, the FO said.
China proposed creating WAICO last year to address global AI governance needs.
Upon arrival, Dar was welcomed by Shanghai Vice Mayor Wu Wei, Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires to China Aizaz Khan, and Consul General of Pakistan in Shanghai Shahzad Ahmad Khan, the FO shared on X.
The FO added that Dar will attend WAICO’s signing ceremony and participate in WAIC 2026 to advance international AI collaboration and promote equitable AI governance frameworks.
In July last year, at WAIC’s opening in Shanghai, Chinese Premier Li Qiang emphasized AI governance and open-source development, announcing the creation of a Chinese-led global AI cooperation body.
During a visit to China in May, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed support for China’s WAICO initiative, stating it represents a concrete step toward advancing AI for global development.
Islamabad pledged to collaborate with Beijing to strengthen global AI governance and international cooperation.
WAIC Highlights and Global AI Governance
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to deliver a visionary address on China’s role in global AI governance at WAIC on Friday, as Huawei unveils its latest AI computing cluster, showcasing Beijing’s push to build a domestic tech ecosystem independent of U.S. dominance.
Huawei’s Atlas 950 SuperPoD, a large-scale AI computing system, will debut publicly during the event. The system integrates thousands of Huawei Ascend AI processors via high-speed interconnects, operating as a unified computing cluster.
DeepSeek’s V4 model has been adapted to run on Huawei’s Ascend chip-based clusters, demonstrating Chinese firms’ progress in creating AI ecosystems independently of U.S. technology.
The conference coincides with a High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai, where updates on WAICO and the Global AI Governance Initiative are expected. Beijing aims to promote its open-source AI models as cost-effective alternatives to Western offerings, arguing they can expand global access to AI.
A recent People’s Daily editorial emphasized that AI must not evolve into a technology monopoly but should instead serve humanity broadly.
Attendees include global leaders like UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, alongside nine Turing Award and Nobel laureates such as Yoshua Bengio and Richard Sutton.
Despite significant Chinese tech participation, representation from major U.S. firms remains limited.
Other product launches at the event include AI agent smartphones from ZTE-owned Nubia and AI startup StepFun, per Chinese media reports.
