{"slug": "us-seeks-ai-dialogue-with-china-as-officials-set-stage-for-trump-xi-summit", "title": "US seeks \"AI dialogue\" with China as officials set stage for Trump-Xi summit", "summary": "US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States and China discussed creating a \"US-China AI dialogue\" and a notification mechanism for AI incidents during roughly eight hours of talks in New York on Sunday, a prelude to a planned Thursday White House meeting between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping. Bessent, who spoke alongside US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer after meetings with a Chinese team led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, said the notification mechanism would cover situations \"that rises up to a national security level from AI,\" and both sides agreed to meet again. Chinese state media outlet Xinhua described the meetings as \"candid, in-depth, and constructive\" and confirmed a dialogue on AI-related issues without further details.", "body_md": "## US seeks \"AI dialogue\" with China as officials set stage for Trump-Xi summit\n\nNew York, New York - **US and** [Chinese](https://www.tag24.com/en/topic/world/china) **economic officials discussed creating a communication channel for** [AI](https://www.tag24.com/en/tech/artificial-intelligence) **concerns at meetings Sunday as they set the stage for a summit of the countries' top leaders this week.**\n\n[The talks](https://www.tag24.com/en/topic/world/china/key-chinese-official-visiting-us-for-trade-talks-ahead-of-major-trump-xi-summit-3533475) come as both powers confront rising fears that increasingly capable artificial intelligence systems could wipe out humanity, offering a rare incentive for cooperation despite an [intensifying race](https://www.tag24.com/en/news/politics/politicians/donald-trump/trump-downplays-ai-risks-as-things-that-wont-happen-amid-growing-concerns-3532103) for technological supremacy.\n\n\"We just had a very successful engagement with the Chinese on trade and AI,\" US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters after long talks with a team led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.\n\nThe talks are a prelude to a planned [White House meeting](https://www.tag24.com/en/topic/world/china/trump-gets-giddy-about-visit-from-chinas-xi-boasts-about-ai-superiority-3529452) on Thursday of the leaders of the world's two biggest economies: US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.\n\nThe discussions, which also included the top US trade official Jamieson Greer, lasted around eight hours at JPMorgan Chase's headquarters in New York.\n\nBessant said the two sides discussed setting up a way to communicate about AI issues called the \"US-China AI dialogue.\"\n\n\"The US has proposed that we have a notification mechanism between the two countries,\" Bessent said.\n\n**Such notifications are for potential \"incidents,\" or a situation \"that rises up to a national security level from AI,\" he said, adding that both sides have agreed to meet again.**\n\n### China hails \"candid\" and \"constructive\" meetings\n\nBessent and He also spoke one-on-one during the day, a source familiar with the matter said.\n\nChinese state media described the meetings as \"candid, in-depth, and constructive\" on Monday.\n\n\"The two sides engaged in... discussions on key economic and trade issues of mutual interest, such as implementing the consensus from previous consultations and promoting bilateral trade and investment,\" Xinhua news agency said in a brief readout.\n\nChinese and US officials also held a dialogue on \"issues related to AI,\" Xinhua added, without giving any further details.\n\nChinese official Li Chenggang, who was elevated to a top-level international trade representative post shortly before the meetings, was present in the New York talks too. But the Chinese delegation did not address reporters.\n\nGreer stressed on Sunday that it is \"imperative that we are able to work together.\"\n\n**Both sides are looking to ease tensions on trade, technology, and other strategic concerns. These include the possible extension of a trade truce and guardrails for AI development.**\n\n### Possibility of mutual tariff reduction?\n\nAsked about the possibility of mutual tariff reduction on certain goods, Greer said teams \"are continuing to work through this.\"\n\nThe aim is to identify \"non-sensitive\" goods that can be considered separately from trade measures in the future, he added.\n\nSuch products could cover consumer goods from the Chinese side and energy, agricultural, and other products like medical devices on the US side.\n\nBeyond less sensitive items, US officials are also seeking to ensure the continued flow of rare earth magnets and critical minerals that are vital for US manufacturers.\n\nWorking level meetings could continue into Monday, a source familiar with discussions earlier told AFP.\n\nPrevious negotiations saw China pledge purchases of US agriculture goods too, and their fulfilment of the terms could also be an issue under scrutiny.\n\nAnother issue is US economic pressure on Iran, as Washington's war with Tehran has entered its seventh month. China is a top economic partner of Iran that buys much of its oil output and a key diplomatic backer.\n\nAnalysts caution that expectations for the Trump-Xi summit are low.\n\n\"One of the only things we can hope for in the short term is a truce, and that this will likely continue through the remainder of this year,\" said former US deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell.\n\n\"I think you will hear the president announce the intention to meet with Xi Jinping two more times,\" added Campbell, who is now chairman of The Asia Group consultancy.\n\n**Trump and Xi are expected to meet in November at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen, China. Trump is also anticipated to invite Xi to the G20 summit in December at his Doral resort in Miami.**\n\nCover photo: REUTERS", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-seeks-ai-dialogue-with-china-as-officials-set-stage-for-trump-xi-summit", "canonical_source": "https://www.tag24.com/en/topic/world/china/us-seeks-ai-dialogue-with-china-as-officials-set-stage-for-trump-xi-summit-3533841", "published_at": "2026-09-21 05:59:27+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-21 06:53:25.158705+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-safety"], "entities": ["Scott Bessent", "He Lifeng", "Donald Trump", "Xi Jinping", "Jamieson Greer", "Li Chenggang", "Xinhua", "JPMorgan Chase"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-seeks-ai-dialogue-with-china-as-officials-set-stage-for-trump-xi-summit", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-seeks-ai-dialogue-with-china-as-officials-set-stage-for-trump-xi-summit.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-seeks-ai-dialogue-with-china-as-officials-set-stage-for-trump-xi-summit.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-seeks-ai-dialogue-with-china-as-officials-set-stage-for-trump-xi-summit.jsonld"}}