World
China opts out of international blueprint to stop AI race in weapons development
China this week chose not to sign onto an international “blueprint” agreed to by some 60 nations, including the U.S., that looked to establish guardrails when employing artificial intelligence (AI) for military use.
More than 90 nations attended the Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain (REAIM) summit hosted in South Korea on Monday and Tuesday, though roughly a third of the attendees did not support the nonbinding proposal.
AI expert Arthur Herman, senior fellow and director of the Quantum Alliance Initiative with the Hudson Institute, told Fox News Digital that the fact some 30 nations opted out of this important development in the race to develop AI is not necessarily cause for concern, though in Beijing’s case it is likely because of its general opposition to signing multilateral agreements.
Participants are shown prior to the closing session of the REAIM summit in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 10, 2024. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)
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“What it boils down to … is China is always wary of any kind of international agreement in which it has not been the architect or involved in creating and organizing how that agreement is going to be shaped and implemented,” he said. “I think the Chinese see all of these efforts, all of these multilateral endeavors, as ways in which to try and constrain and limit China’s ability to use AI to enhance its military edge.”
Herman explained that the summit, and the blueprint agreed to by some five dozen nations, is an attempt to safeguard the expanding technology surrounding AI by ensuring there is always “human control” over the systems in place, particularly as it relates to military and defense matters.
“The algorithms that drive defense systems and weapons systems depend a lot on how fast they can go,” he said. “[They] move quickly to gather information and data that you then can speed back to command and control so they can then make the decision.
The Guard of Honor of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army performs a flag-raising ceremony at Bayi Square to celebrate the 97th anniversary of China’s Army Day on Aug. 1, 2024, in Nanchang. (Ma Yue/VCG via Getty Images)
“The speed with which AI moves … that’s hugely important on the battlefield,” he added. “If the decision that the AI-driven system is making involves taking a human life, then you want it to be one in which it’s a human being that makes the final call about a decision of that sort.”
Participants are shown with the Tenebris, a medium-size unmanned surface vessel concept, on display at the REAIM summit in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 10, 2024. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)
Nations leading in AI development, like the U.S., have said maintaining a human element in serious battlefield decisions is hugely important to avoid mistaken casualties and prevent a machine-driven conflict.
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The summit, which was co-hosted by the Netherlands, Singapore, Kenya and the United Kingdom, was the second of its kind after more than 60 nations attended the first meeting last year held in the Dutch capital.
It remains unclear why China, along with some 30 other countries, opted not to agree to the building blocks that look to set up AI safeguards, particularly after Beijing backed a similar “call to action” during the summit last year.
When pressed for details of the summit during a Wednesday press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that upon invitation, China sent a delegation to the summit where it “elaborated on China’s principles of AI governance.”
Mao pointed to the “Global Initiative for AI Governance” put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in October that she said “gives a systemic view on China’s governance propositions.”
Participants look at a miniature version of the KF-21 fighter jet on display at the REAIM summit in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 10, 2024. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)
The spokesperson did not say why China did not back the nonbinding blueprint introduced during the REAIM summit this week but added that “China will remain open and constructive in working with other parties and deliver more tangibly for humanity through AI development.”
Herman warned that while nations like the U.S. and its allies will look to establish multilateral agreements for safeguarding AI practices in military use, they are unlikely to do much in the way of deterring adversarial nations like China, Russia and Iran from developing malign technologies.
“When you’re talking about nuclear proliferation or missile technology, the best restraint is deterrence,” the AI expert explained. “You force those who are determined to push ahead with the use of AI – even to the point of basically using AI as kind of [a] automatic kill mechanism, because they see it in their interest to do so – the way in which you constrain them is by making it clear, if you develop weapons like that, we can use them against you in the same way.
“You don’t count on their sense of altruism or high ethical standards to restrain them, that’s not how that works,” Herman added.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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One of the leading American institutes devoted to research on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program sounded an alarm this week over the regime’s uninspected underground site in the Zagros Mountains.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have not been allowed to visit the secret site, known as Pickaxe Mountain.
The highly fortified facility is casting serious doubt on Iran’s willingness to abide by the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) reached with the Trump administration. The United States, together with Israel, launched Operation Epic Fury Feb. 28, 2026, targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
Experts from the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) argue that halting work at Pickaxe Mountain and allowing IAEA inspectors access would be a key good-faith measure to test whether Iran is prepared to abandon its pattern of deception.
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A satellite image shows an overview of the Pickaxe Mountain tunnel complex in Natanz. (Vantor/Handout via Reuters)
Spencer Faragasso, a senior fellow with the group who covers Iran, North Korea, illicit trade, and nuclear issues, wrote on X: “Important update by us at @TheGoodISIS. The ongoing work at Pickaxe Mountain is deeply concerning. This work has continued steadily since at least 2020. In my view, this is a hedge by Iran in case negotiations fail — they will then have a nuclear facility in a late stage of construction. We assessed that Pickaxe is likely large enough to hold an enrichment plant.”
Iran has used facilities at Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan to enrich uranium, the key material for a nuclear weapons program.
Faragasso added, “If Iran is serious about negotiating, it should halt construction at Pickaxe Mountain as a token of good faith. But what can be expected from a regime as brutal and conniving as Iran’s?”
The institute posted a detailed analysis of new satellite imagery from late June 2026 showing continued activity at Pickaxe Mountain.
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Vice President JD Vance prior to a meeting between the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar at the Bürgenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, June 21, 2026. (Fabrice Coffrini/Keystone via AP)
The institute wrote that “at Pickaxe Mountain, vehicle activity can be seen on the roads leading to the open set of Western tunnel portals, indicating that construction inside the tunnel complex, as well as hardening of the tunnel entrance, are ongoing. The MOU signed between the United States and Iran requires that Iran maintain the status quo, which should prohibit construction at any nuclear-related facility, including Pickaxe Mountain.”
In late June, the IAEA declined to answer a detailed Fox News Digital query on whether it would seek access to the Pickaxe Mountain facility. According to the satellite imagery obtained by the institute, “at Natanz, little activity can be seen. The access points to the below-ground enrichment halls have not been repaired.
“The personnel entrances remain destroyed, and vehicle entrances remain severely damaged. A single vehicle can be seen on the road outside of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP), which was destroyed in June 2025 but was later covered by Iran.”
As U.S.-Iran talks opened Sunday in Switzerland, and a dispute over who controls and monitors billions of dollars in potentially unfrozen Iranian assets emerged. (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool via Reuters)
The institute also reported, “As of June 29, 2026, there is no observed activity at Esfahan. The tunnel portals remain backfilled with dirt.” ISIS tracked developments at the Fordow site, buried inside a mountain north of the holy Islamic city of Qom.
“At Fordow, as earlier reported by the Institute, between May 10 and May 18, Iran added passive defensive measures in the form of earthen/rocky mounds and other objects on the roads leading to the tunnel entrances. The alternating placements of the piles/objects are very precise, which creates a series of chicanes, indicating they are not intended as obstructions but rather to prevent rapid ingress and egress by any vehicle toward the tunnels.”
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The institute added, “The June 21 Vantor image shows that the objects along the road remain there. The tunnel portals also remain backfilled with dirt” at Fordow.
Fox News Digital sent questions to the State Department and the Iranian Mission to the United Nations.
Published On 6 Jul 2026
The funeral procession for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has begun in Tehran as authorities prepare for crowds that could rival those that turned out for his predecessor nearly four decades ago.
After lying in state for two days at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex, the body of Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the United States-Israel war on Iran, began its journey on Monday through the capital, accompanied by large crowds of mourners, state broadcaster IRIB reported.
Authorities are hoping to avoid a repeat of the chaos that marred the 1989 funeral of Khamenei’s predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini, which drew an estimated 10 million people, according to the state news agency IRNA.
Crowd surges during Khomeini’s funeral killed more than 10 people and injured over 10,000.
Thousands filled the Grand Mosalla on Sunday to pay their respects to Khamenei and his four family members who were killed with him on February 28 in air strikes on his office in Tehran.
Monday’s procession will be followed by similar events in the clerical hub of Qom on Tuesday and in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday, culminating in Khamenei’s burial in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.
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