EU briefed members on China's WAICO invite, then publicly denied it

China invited the European Commission to join the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), the Beijing-backed AI body founded in Shanghai in July 2026. The Commission briefed national experts around October 21 but its spokesperson publicly denied receiving any official offer. Washington has warned that WAICO membership is incompatible with the US-led Pax Silica, which the EU joined in June.

• WAICO was founded on July 16, 2026, with 29 signatory nations in Shanghai
• The EU joined Pax Silica on June 25, 2026, pledging $40B in US AI chips
• The US warned 35 countries that the two AI blocs are incompatible
• China pledged 5,000 training slots for developing nations over five years