China wants Indonesia to back AI club WAICO as US rivalry heats up
Al has now reached the negotiating tables, as seen in Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono's high-level talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Jakarta on Friday (21 August).
The meeting took place about a month after Jakarta was among the 29 nations that agreed to establish the WAICO. Short for the World Al Cooperation Organization, this is an initiative aimed at promoting global governance on this fast-evolving technology. It emerges as a countermove to Pax Silica, a US-led initiative meant to secure Al and semiconductor supply chains.
To the press, Wang highlighted the need to "expand existing cooperation into new productive powers like Al.
“We must ensure the success of the newly forme WAICO,” Wang said.
He did not elaborate further on WAICO, Just moments before Wang's turn to address the press, Sugiono had said that both sides had agreed to "explore new mechanisms on Al", without mentionin the alliance.
Wang's WAICO call came after Heuters reported a US draft letter in which Washington.told partners to pick sides in the Al race. The letter was addressed to the 35 signatories of a US "Al Opportunity Statement". This includes the now-WAICO member Kazakhstan.
Indonesia has long stood by its "free and active foreign policy of not aligning with a major power. When Jakarta first unveiled its WAICO membership senior economic minister Airlangga Hartarto refused to frame the move as Jakarta siding with Beijing in the rivalry, while signaling Indonesia's intention to join the Pax Silica Idonesia produces-nickel and copper, minerals used in advanced technologies.
The World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) is an independent intergovernmental body established on July 16, 2026, and headquartered in Shanghai, China. Formed by 29 founding nations—primarily across the Global South—it promotes open technology-sharing, human-centered AI governance, and equitable access to artificial intelligence development
Source: Agencies