The United States and China have reached an agreement to establish an official dialogue focused on artificial intelligence. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the initiative following discussions with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York. The framework includes a notification mechanism designed to alert both nations to AI-related incidents that impact national security.
The dialogue aims to foster a shared understanding of common goals and threats between the two leading AI powers. Officials plan to hold further meetings to finalize the operational details of this reporting system. During the negotiations at JPMorgan's headquarters in Manhattan, the parties also formalized a board of trade, building on previous discussions held in Beijing last May.
Despite the new AI cooperation framework, the US administration has rejected proposals for a formal slowdown in AI research due to the ongoing competitive race. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer confirmed that export controls on advanced AI chips are not currently on the agenda. The discussions precede the upcoming summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Washington.
The leaders are expected to address the potential extension of a trade truce originally established in Busan, South Korea, in October. That agreement involved a pause on US export controls against Chinese companies and a delay in Chinese restrictions on rare earth exports. Washington is currently reviewing Beijing's adherence to these commitments regarding rare earth supply chains.
