China AI Safety & Development Association (CnAISDA)

The China AI Safety & Development Association (CnAISDA) was announced and publicly launched in February 2025 on the sidelines of the Paris AI Action Summit. It represents China's formal entry into the international AI safety governance ecosystem, positioning itself as the Chinese counterpart to the AI Safety Institutes (AISIs) established in the United States, United Kingdom, and other jurisdictions. Unlike its counterparts, CnAISDA was not constituted as a new government agency or standalone body. Instead, it operates as a networked coalition that draws together eight existing research institutions under a shared identity. Tsinghua University serves as the organizational hub, providing CnAISDA with its official address and telephone number. Other member institutions include the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI), the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL/SHLAB), Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute, the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA), Peking University, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), and the China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID). The leadership roster features prominent figures in Chinese AI policy and research. Fu Ying, a former vice minister of foreign affairs, has acted as the organization's primary public spokesperson. Andrew Yao, China's sole Turing Award winner and dean of Tsinghua's College of AI, lends scientific credibility. Xue Lan, an adviser to China's State Council and dean of Tsinghua's Institute for AI International Governance, bridges technical and policy communities. Other experts featured on the website include Zhou Bowen of Shanghai AI Laboratory, Wei Kai of CAICT, Xu Wei of Tsinghua's Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences, and Zeng Yi from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. As of mid-2025, CnAISDA does not have separately dedicated staff, a research team, or a budget of its own. Its website is available only in English, with no Chinese-language version, reflecting its primary orientation toward international audiences. An official from China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has publicly confirmed government backing, and the launch received extensive coverage in Chinese state media. The organization has partnered with Concordia AI on frontier risk evaluations and has engaged with international AI safety bodies, emphasizing areas of shared concern around catastrophic and existential risks from advanced AI systems.