KEY POINTS
- Bessent proposed a US-China AI safety notification system to flag national-security-level AI incidents, for Trump and Xi to consider at their Washington summit on Thursday and Friday.
- China’s response was muted; Xinhua confirmed only that AI was discussed, and analysts cited persistent distrust between the two powers.
- Talks also covered tariff-cut plans on non-strategic goods, but made no progress on critical minerals or earlier Chinese pledges on US farm goods and Boeing jets.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has proposed a new AI safety notification mechanism for the United States and China, handing Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping a fresh idea to weigh when they meet in Washington this week.
Bessent floated the plan after concluding talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York on Sunday. Specifically, he said the two sides discussed a US-China AI dialogue centered on national security, with a system to flag AI-related incidents that reach a national security level. Moreover, he framed the goal as moving “from opaque to more transparency between the number one and the number two AI powers in the world.”
A cautious opening
The Chinese response stayed guarded. State news agency Xinhua acknowledged only that both sides spoke about AI, while describing the broader exchanges as “frank, in-depth and constructive.” Trump and Xi first raised possible AI consultations in Beijing in May, yet that forum never took shape.
Analysts urged caution. According to George Chen of The Asia Group in Hong Kong, one or two meetings cannot resolve everything, though continued dialogue still matters. However, he warned that trust remains low and that Beijing suspects Washington of trying to contain its AI ambitions.
Trade threads left hanging
The talks reached beyond AI. Additionally, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said both sides aim to “operationalize” a May agreement letting each identify tariff cuts on non-strategic goods, a channel dubbed the “Board of Trade.” Candidates could include consumer and low-tech Chinese exports, alongside US energy, farm goods and medical devices.
Still, key disputes stayed unresolved. Notably, Greer and Bessent reported no progress on easing China’s critical mineral restrictions, which US officials call insufficient. Meanwhile, earlier Chinese pledges to buy more US farm goods and Boeing jets went unaddressed. Ultimately, the meetings set the stage for Thursday and Friday, when Trump and Xi test a fragile truce in person.
