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As Xi’s US visit approaches, basic details of planned AI talks remain uncertain

With Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States weeks away, Washington and Beijing have yet to settle basic details of a planned artificial intelligence dialogue, including which US agencies will lead, whether private firms will join, and the agenda, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has led broader economic talks, but AI policy spans multiple agencies, and substantive dialogue would require experts from AI labs, not just senior diplomats.

read1 min views8 publishedAug 19, 2026
As Xi’s US visit approaches, basic details of planned AI talks remain uncertain
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Questions remain over which US agencies will take the lead, whether private firms will join and what will be on the agenda

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With Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned

visit to the United Statesjust weeks away, Washington and Beijing are still struggling to arrange a hoped-for dialogue on artificial intelligence, with the venue, participants and scope of the talks yet to be settled.Two sources familiar with the discussions said Washington had yet to decide which part of the US government should take the lead. The two sides had also not agreed on whether technical experts and private-sector representatives should be included, among other questions.

While Treasury Secretary Scott Bessenthas led discussions around the broader US-China economic relationship, one person familiar with the matter added that AI policy cut across the White House, intelligence agencies, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the departments of state, commerce and defence.A substantive dialogue would also require experts from AI laboratories, rather than simply senior diplomats, to take part, the person said.

It remains unclear whether companies in the AI industry – such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind and Nvidia on the US side, or China’s

DeepSeek,Alibabaand Baidu – will formally attend or only play a role on the margins.Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

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