China Proposes Global AI Body at APEC Summit

At the APEC leaders' summit in Gyeongju, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization to govern AI, set international rules and promote collaboration, saying it could be based in Shanghai and positioning China as an alternative to U.S.-led cooperation. U.S. President Donald Trump skipped the leaders' meeting after a bilateral meeting with Xi that produced a one-year deal to partially roll back trade and technology controls. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung urged APEC economies to jointly tackle AI and demographic challenges, proposing an "Asia‑Pacific AI Center" and a regional framework to address aging and low birth rates. AI dominated the APEC CEO Summit and broader discussions, with business and government leaders warning that a shift toward "agentic AI" is straining chips, data centers, power and supply chains and highlighting immediate impacts on healthcare, energy and productivity. APEC members approved joint declarations and pacts on AI and aging, and China is set to host the 2026 summit in Shenzhen.