TL;DRChina wants a global AI cooperation org and offers cheap/free models. The G7 is discussing “trusted partner” access to US AI. Two systems are forming.
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi announced on Wednesday that Beijing is “accelerating the establishment of a global AI cooperation organization” and invited all countries to join. The comments came as the G7 summit in France wrapped up with discussions about giving “trusted partners” access to leading US AI models, according to Reuters. Two competing visions of AI governance are now diverging in public.
Wang was speaking at the release of China’s global governance whitepaper, which criticised trade wars and emphasised support for the Global South. Vice chair Zhao Haibing of China’s top economic agency pushed back on “closed, exclusive and monopolistic approaches to tech development.” The language was aimed directly at Washington.
The timing is deliberate. The US Commerce Department ordered Anthropic to shut down Fable 5 and Mythos 5 last week, cutting off every foreign user. Anthropic and Google DeepMind used the G7 to call for a US-led AI coalition that would set international rules. Canada agreed. China was not invited.
The 💜 of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!The contrast in approaches is stark. US AI models are subscription-only and increasingly subject to export controls. China’s efforts have focused on cheap or free models that can be downloaded in their entirety. DeepSeek, Qwen, and other Chinese open-weight models are available to anyone with an internet connection. The Global South, which cannot afford enterprise AI subscriptions and was not consulted on the G7’s “trusted partner” framework, has a clear choice between the two.
