US, China launch ‘AI dialogue’ ahead of Trump-Xi summit amid race to control AI risks
The United States and China have agreed to establish a formal dialogue on artificial intelligence, adding a new area of cooperation between the world’s two biggest AI powers ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Washington.US treasury secretary Scott Bessent announced the agreement after talks with Chinese vice-premier He Lifeng in New York on Sunday. The two sides also moved ahead with plans for a trade mechanism first discussed when Trump met Xi in Beijing.The agreement comes as technology leaders warn that rapid advances in AI could create serious risks if research continues without adequate safeguards.
US and China set up AI mechanism
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Washington and Beijing had formalised a “board of trade” that had been discussed during Trump’s May meeting with Xi in Beijing.“We just had a very successful engagement with the Chinese on trade and AI, completing where we left off in Beijing,” Bessent said at JPMorgan’s headquarters in New York, where the two delegations held talks before the summit.“[In Beijing] we created the board of trade and began the subject of AI, and this evening those were operationalised,” Bessent was quoted as saying by FT.Washington has also proposed a “notification mechanism” to address AI-related incidents involving national security. Bessent said the new dialogue could help the two countries develop “a shared vision of common goals and common threats”.“We think that just like any cross-border activity that is moving from opaque to more transparency between the number one and number two AI powers in the world is very important,” he added.
Trade truce and rare earths remain key
The talks also focused on whether Washington and Beijing can extend the one-year trade truce agreed by Trump and Xi in Busan, South Korea, last October.The agreement had temporarily eased tensions in their trade war. The US agreed to delay export controls that could have affected thousands of Chinese companies, while China agreed to postpone sweeping restrictions on rare earth exports.China has sought to extend the truce until the end of Trump’s second term, according to people familiar with the discussions. The US, however, has been pushing for a shorter extension of about six months.Washington has raised concerns that Beijing has not fully implemented commitments on rare earths. US companies have faced delays in obtaining the materials, which are important for several industries and supply chains. The US has also raised concerns about Chinese restrictions affecting rare earth exports to Japan.
Trump and Xi set for Washington summit
AI, Taiwan, Iran and the future of the trade truce are among the issues expected to feature in the Trump-Xi meeting.Trump is due to welcome Xi at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday before the leaders hold their summit on Thursday, which will include a state dinner for the Chinese president.The meeting comes four months after Xi hosted Trump for a state visit in Beijing. It will also be their first meeting on US soil since Trump’s first term, when they met at Mar-a-Lago in 2017.Bessent and Greer have held several rounds of talks with He since the US-China trade war began in early 2025. The New York discussions were their first meeting outside Europe and Asia.
Source link
