The United States has proposed that Washington and Beijing notify each other of artificial intelligence incidents serious enough to qualify as national security events. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent put the idea to Chinese officials during talks in Manhattan on Sunday with Vice Premier He Lifeng and trade negotiator Li Chenggang. Bessent described the proposal as a channel for communication rather than a treaty and said moving from opaque practices to greater transparency between the world’s top two AI powers is important. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said export controls on AI chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment were excluded from the discussion. Both sides agreed to meet again on AI topics but have not set a date or format. Beijing has not indicated whether it accepts the mechanism. The talks form part of the groundwork for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to the White House later in the week.
The United States has proposed that Washington and Beijing notify each other of artificial intelligence incidents serious enough to qualify as national security events. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent put the idea to Chinese officials during talks in Manhattan on Sunday with Vice Premier He Lifeng and trade negotiator Li Chenggang. Bessent described the proposal as a channel for communication rather than a treaty and said moving from opaque practices to greater transparency between the world’s top two AI powers is important. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said export controls on AI chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment were excluded from the discussion. Both sides agreed to meet again on AI topics but have not set a date or format. Beijing has not indicated whether it accepts the mechanism. The talks form part of the groundwork for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to the White House later in the week.