ThinkTankWeekly

A summer of AI summits reveals a widening US-China divide

Brookings | 2026-09-02 | china_indopacific

Topics: AI, China, Climate, Cybersecurity, Europe, Indo-Pacific, Taiwan, Trade, United States

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English Summary

The recent series of international AI summits reveals a widening geopolitical divide in global governance, pitting Western standards against China's alternative model. While G7 and UN forums emphasize safety-by-design, interoperability, and multi-stakeholder regulation, China is actively establishing its own institutional structure through the proposed World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO). This bifurcation is underscored by reports noting that the US and China dominate global computing power, creating two competing spheres of influence. Policymakers must anticipate regulatory fragmentation, as the lack of a harmonized global framework risks undermining international cooperation and setting divergent technological standards.

中文摘要

近期一系列國際人工智慧峰會揭示了全球治理領域日益擴大的地緣政治分歧,將西方標準與中國的替代模式對立。雖然G7和聯合國論壇強調安全內建設計、互操作性以及多方利益相關者監管機制,但中國正透過提議設立世界人工智慧合作組織(WAICO),積極建立其自身的制度結構。這種兩極分化現象,體現在關於美中雙方主導全球運算能力的報告中,形成了兩個相互競爭的影響力圈。政策制定者必須預期監管碎片化的風險,因為缺乏協調一致的全球框架,可能會損害國際合作並導致技術標準產生巨大差異。

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