Bangladesh joins China-led AI cooperation body as observer amid great-power tech rivalry
The decision, announced as Washington’s envoy visited Dhaka, places the South Asian nation inside a 29-country open-source governance framework that Beijing promotes as an alternative to the US-led Pax Silica.
Bangladesh has decided to join the China-led World AI Cooperation Organisation (WAICO) as an observer, the foreign ministry in Dhaka announced on Saturday. The move follows a direct request from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila on 22 July, and subsequent discussions between Bangladesh’s foreign minister and China’s ambassador in Dhaka. WAICO was formally launched in Shanghai on 16 July with 29 founding members, including Russia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia and South Africa.
According to its founding declaration, the Shanghai-based body aims to deepen international cooperation on innovation, reduce the global digital divide, promote an open and non-discriminatory environment for AI development, and advance regulatory frameworks to keep the technology safe and beneficial. The initiative champions open-source AI models, which allow any organisation to use, study and modify the technology without relying on paid licences from proprietary platforms. Brazilian experts consulted by Agência Brasil view WAICO as an opportunity for developing countries to build digital sovereignty, though they caution that without domestic investment in critical infrastructure, the benefits of such cooperation may remain limited.
The announcement came on the same day that US Presidential Special Envoy Sergio Gor met Prime Minister Tarek Rahman in Dhaka to discuss information-technology cooperation. During the meeting, Gor said Bangladesh had significant potential in the sector and could in future become a partner in Pax Silica, a US-led initiative launched in December 2025 that now groups 23 countries and the European Union. Pax Silica coordinates among Washington-aligned states to secure supply chains for semiconductors, critical minerals and energy, and to address vulnerabilities in the AI production chain. Analysts in Brazil note that the US model favours a restricted circle of trusted partners, leaving most of the world dependent on decisions taken by a few governments and big tech firms.
Bangladesh’s foreign minister, Khalilur Rahman, told journalists that the United States is still reviewing WAICO and has not yet communicated a full opinion. “The world is dividing into two blocs,” he said, adding that the new organisation represents an evolving landscape in which many unknowns remain. The Citi Research report underscores that the AI investment cycle is deepening the gap between advanced and emerging economies, with only a handful of semiconductor-exporting nations capturing significant gains. WAICO’s next steps are not yet detailed, but its open-door structure and emphasis on open-source governance signal that further expansion and institutional development are likely as the contest over AI standards intensifies.
| Latin American press | +0.70 | aligned |
|---|---|---|
| Indian & South Asian press | −0.70 | critical |
| Continental European press | 0.00 | neutral |
| Iranian & allied press | +0.50 | aligned |
The Global South and Brazil seize the chance to emancipate themselves from US technological dominance by joining an open, multipolar AI model led by China.
A stark opposition is built between an 'imperialist' model (USA) and a 'cooperative' one (China), attributing hegemonic intentions to the former and an offer of sovereignty and equitable development to the latter.
Any reference to concerns about Chinese surveillance or state control, which emerge from the Indian and Iranian bloc materials, is omitted.
China improperly uses US AI models to boost its own military capabilities, undermining global security and violating US technology restrictions.
The focus is shifted from the Chinese diplomatic initiative (Waico) to an episode of alleged technological violation, framing Beijing as an opportunistic and unfair actor.
The perspective of cooperation and open development offered by Waico is omitted, as is the role of Brazil and the other 28 member countries.
The American debate on open AI models fits into a competitive dynamic with China, which with Waico promotes a similar approach.
The Chinese initiative is contextualized within a technical-political debate already underway in the US, presenting it as an element of a broader picture rather than an isolated event.
The perspective of the Global South and the bipolar opposition rhetoric present in the Latin American bloc are omitted.
Iran joins Waico to ensure equitable access to AI and actively participate in global scientific development, within a framework of fair international cooperation.
Membership is presented as an act of sovereignty and a search for technological justice, aligning Iran with an initiative that promises inclusivity, in contrast to unilateral US exclusion.
Any reference to security concerns or military use of AI that emerges from the Indian bloc is omitted.
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