The United States and China have agreed to set up a dialogue on artificial intelligence and to continue trade talks ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington this week, according to officials.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held about eight hours of talks in New York on Sunday, seeking to prepare agreements for the Trump-Xi summit.
Washington has put forward a system to alert the government to AI-related incidents that could represent a national security risk, Bessent said. “We think that, just like with any cross-border activity, moving from opacity to more transparency between the number one and the number two AI powers in the world is very important,” Bessent said.
The countries also agreed to set up a trade commission focused on non-sensitive goods and possible tariff reductions, Jamieson Greer, United States Trade Representative, said. “These are the two most powerful countries on earth, whether it’s in trade or AI, and they must be able to work together,” Greer said.
Trump and Xi are due to meet in Washington on Thursday, when trade, AI and other contentious issues are expected to come up.
