Project summary

AI Governance Exchange is a pioneering nonprofit building crucial connections between West and China on AI safety.

In an era of increasing international tensions, we leverage Singapore's uniquely strategic position as a neutral hub to facilitate essential dialogue and collaboration that neither Chinese nor US organizations can achieve directly.

Urgent Need for Seed Funding!

• incorporation: We need to incorporate our organization to:

  1. become eligible for grants that require formal establishment

  2. establish formal collaborations on existing projects and receive compensation

• rare opportunity: We require travel support for ICLR 2025 and an alignment workshop in Singapore on April 23rd. This presents a rare opportunity for Chinese and US AI researchers to connect, as many are unable to travel directly between the two countries.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

1. There is an URGENT and CRITICAL need for China expertise among AI governance organizations. In advising several key organizations, we have identified a critical and recurring gap —these organizations are engaging in vital discussions with China while lacking fundamental understanding of the country's context.

   1. We provide them with information about how the Chinese government works to help establish direct communication channels with China, including dialogue mechanisms, hotlines, and crisis protocols.

   2. This enables concrete policy alignment and cooperation that can pave the way for international treaties.

2. The stakes are exceptionally high: Chinese AI labs need to adopt frontier AI safety frameworks that align with both international standards and domestic regulations as soon as possible. We accelerate this process by:

   1. educate: providing targeted educational materials to Chinese AI labs such as EU code of practice

   2. dangerous capability demonstration: helping organizations demonstrate AI capabilities and risks in ways that specifically resonate with Chinese policymakers

   3. collaborate: Working with existing organizations in this space, to fill critical gaps and create positive ripple effects throughout the ecosystem

How will this funding be used?

We are seeking a sponsorship of approximately USD 5,000 to support the legal and administrative setup of our Singapore-based nonprofit entity (Company Limited by Guarantee), as well as to cover initial travel and programmatic expenses related to our work in Singapore.

Estimated breakdown:

• USD 2,000 — Incorporation and legal advisory for CLG structure

• USD 1,500 — Local nominee director services

• USD 1,000 — Company secretarial services, bookkeeping, and first-year audit support

• USD 500 — Virtual registered office address

With additional support (USD ~7,000–15,000), we aim to extend our presence in Singapore through one month of in-person operations, which would significantly enhance relationship building, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning on the ground.

Estimated additional costs :

• USD 3,000 —Travel and accommodation for project planning and partner engagement

• USD 2,000 — Coworking space rental and utilities (for 2 people)

• USD 1,000 — Local transportation, meals, and incidental costs

• USD 1,000 — Venue and logistics for small-scale workshops or partner meetings

• (Optional) USD 8,000 — Stipends for two team members (USD 4,000 each) for one month of full-time work

  • We currently operate remotely using personal savings. Living cost support would reducing financial stress and enable us to focus on building partnerships and relationships in Singapore.

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

Our work can be found on the China AI Frontier substack newsletter:

https://chinaaifrontier.substack.com/

Jeffery Wang:

• Former policy researcher at ByteDance in Beijing

• Writer for China AI Frontier (policy stream)

• Conducted research on China's COVID-19 policy with leading University of Chicago scholars

Sarah Sun:

• Founder and writer of China AI Frontier newsletter (tech stream)

• Former ML engineer with Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Physics from the University of Oxford

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

• In general, this project is unlikely to fail since we have already demonstrated positive impact. In a short time, we’ve been able to provide valuable input to AI governance and technical teams in several countries, helping shape conversations that support greater international alignment.

• However, insufficient or delayed funding would cause us to miss this rare opportunity in Singapore—an opportunity that may not present itself again for years.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

0

FAQ:

1. Can anybody vouch for you?

   1. Yes, major reputable international AI governance organizations can vouch for us! We prefer not to disclose specifics, but we're happy to discuss further if you're interested in funding.

      1. jefferywang.ai@gmail.com

      2. yuanyuan.sun.sarah@gmail.com

2. What's the point of communicating with China? We should just do export control and beat them.

   1. The gap between Western and Chinese AI models is closing https://artificialanalysis.ai/downloads/china-report/2025/Artificial-Analysis-State-of-AI-China-Q1-2025.pdf, as demonstrated by advances from DeepSeek, Qwen, and many other companies.

   2. Relying solely on export controls to slow China's progress while the US pursues recursive self-improvement is an increasingly risky strategy as we move toward a multipolar scenario.

3. I thought China doesn't care about AI safety

   1. High-ranking political leaders in China have openly expressed concerns about AI safety and called for international collaboration. https://chinaaifrontier.substack.com/p/ep1-beijings-ai-warning-why-ding

   2. A Chinese standards body issued China’s first AI Safety Governance Framework with substantial treatment of frontier AI risks. https://aisafetychina.substack.com/p/ai-safety-in-china-17

   3. Western media has significantly underreported those developments, which we are working to address—though we need more capacity to do so effectively.

4. Why are Singapore?

   1. Our Singapore base provides unique advantages: independence from both US and Chinese government controls, while maintaining the ability to facilitate international dialogue that neither side can achieve directly.

5. I heard Concordia is doing similar stuff?

   1. Our Singapore-based position allows us to undertake initiatives that Chinese organizations cannot due to sensitivity concerns. Our primary focus is on building international connections rather than domestic influence, although ultimately these connections will help shape China's policy on AGI x-risk

6. Why are you guys not using fiscal sponsorship?

   1. That would mean we have to register as a US based entity, we want to be Singapore based for neutrality

7. How can I learn more?

   1. DM me on linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuan-yuan-sun/

   2. or email us: jefferywang.ai@gmail.com yuanyuan.sun.sarah@gmail.com

   3. We are actively looking for advisers and board members. Please let us know if you are interested!