The United States and China have initiated a formal dialogue on artificial intelligence ahead of a summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Washington. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced this agreement after discussions with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng in New York, emphasizing the importance of transparency and shared goals regarding AI development. The two countries also advanced plans for a trade mechanism first discussed during Trump's visit to Beijing earlier this year, addressing concerns over rare earth exports and potential export controls affecting thousands of Chinese companies.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Scott Bessent, U.S. Treasury Secretary, met with He Lifeng, Chinese Vice Premier, on September 20, 2026, in New York City ahead of a planned summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping scheduled for September 24 in Washington. The talks focused on trade issues, tariffs, rare earth minerals, and artificial intelligence (AI), setting the stage for discussions at the leaders' meeting. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also participated in the all-day session held at JPMorgan Chase's headquarters. Treasury Secretary Bessent called the engagement "very successful," emphasizing a proposed mechanism to enhance communication on AI security threats between the two nations. The summit aims to ease tensions and address economic and strategic concerns, though analysts predict limited breakthroughs due to ongoing great power competition. Markets responded positively to news of the productive talks, with Asian stocks advancing on Monday.
Written for “US-China Trade Talks Ahead Summit” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 29 other(s) covering the same event.
The United States and China have agreed to establish a formal dialogue on artificial intelligence, adding a new area of cooperation between the world's two biggest AI powers ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Washington.
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States → agree → Washington
US treasury secretary Scott Bessent announced the agreement after talks with Chinese vice-premier He Lifeng in New York on Sunday.
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Bessent → announce → Sunday
The two sides also moved ahead with plans for a trade mechanism first discussed when Trump met Xi in Beijing.
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Trump → move → Beijing
The agreement comes as technology leaders warn that rapid advances in AI could create serious risks if research continues without adequate safeguards.
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research → come → safeguards
US and China set up AI mechanism
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Washington and Beijing had formalised a "board of trade" that had been discussed during Trump's May meeting with Xi in Beijing.
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that → set → Beijing
"We just had a very successful engagement with the Chinese on trade and AI, completing where we left off in Beijing," Bessent said at JPMorgan's headquarters in New York, where the two delegations held talks before the summit.
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delegations → have → summit
"[In Beijing] we created the board of trade and began the subject of AI, and this evening those were operationalised," Bessent was quoted as saying by FT.
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Bessent → create → FT
Washington has also proposed a "notification mechanism" to address AI-related incidents involving national security.
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Washington → propose → security
Bessent said the new dialogue could help the two countries develop "a shared vision of common goals and common threats".
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countries → say → goals
"We think that just like any cross-border activity that is moving from opaque to more transparency between the number one and number two AI powers in the world is very important," he added.
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he → think → world
Trade truce and rare earths remain key
The talks also focused on whether Washington and Beijing can extend the one-year trade truce agreed by Trump and Xi in Busan, South Korea, last October.
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Washington → remain → Busan
The agreement had temporarily eased tensions in their trade war.
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agreement → ease → war
The US agreed to delay export controls that could have affected thousands of Chinese companies, while China agreed to postpone sweeping restrictions on rare earth exports.
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China → agree → exports
China has sought to extend the truce until the end of Trump's second term, according to people familiar with the discussions.
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China → seek → discussions
The US, however, has been pushing for a shorter extension of about six months.
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US → push → months
Washington has raised concerns that Beijing has not fully implemented commitments on rare earths.
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Beijing → raise → earths
US companies have faced delays in obtaining the materials, which are important for several industries and supply chains.
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which → face → industries
The US has also raised concerns about Chinese restrictions affecting rare earth exports to Japan.
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US → raise → Japan
Trump and Xi set for Washington summit
AI, Taiwan, Iran and the future of the trade truce are among the issues expected to feature in the Trump-Xi meeting.
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AI → set → meeting
Trump is due to welcome Xi at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday before the leaders hold their summit on Thursday, which will include a state dinner for the Chinese president.
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which → welcome → president
The meeting comes four months after Xi hosted Trump for a state visit in Beijing.
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Xi → come → Beijing
It will also be their first meeting on US soil since Trump's first term, when they met at Mar-a-Lago in 2017.
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they → meet → 2017
Bessent and Greer have held several rounds of talks with He since the US-China trade war began in early 2025.
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war → hold → 2025
The Aporia
