U.S. Proposes AI Dialogue With China Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit — SkimNews
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- Bessent and Chinese VP He Lifeng led roughly eight-hour talks on September 20, 2026 at JPMorgan Chase's New York headquarters, joined by U.S. Trade Representative Greer and newly-elevated Chinese trade representative Li Chenggang — the session was a prelude to Thursday's Trump-Xi White House summit.
- Bessent proposed a "U.S.-China AI dialogue" notification mechanism for AI incidents that "rise up to a national security level," with both sides agreeing to meet again on the channel.
- Greer said teams are working to identify "non-sensitive" goods — Chinese consumer goods on one side, U.S. energy, agricultural, and medical devices on the other — for potential mutual tariff cuts treated separately from broader trade measures.
- U.S. officials are pressing to keep rare earth magnets and critical minerals flowing to American manufacturers, while China's fulfillment of prior pledges to buy U.S. agricultural goods remains under scrutiny.
- Xinhua described the talks as "candid, in-depth, and constructive" and confirmed a separate dialogue on AI issues; the Chinese delegation did not take questions from reporters.
- Former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told AFP expectations are low and a truce extension is the best near-term hope, predicting Trump will announce two more Xi meetings — at APEC in Shenzhen in November and at the G20 in December at Trump's Doral resort in Miami.
- Iran is also on the agenda: Washington's war with Tehran has entered its seventh month, and China is Iran's top oil buyer and key diplomatic backer, according to the source.
Why it matters: Both sides are publicly downplaying expectations while quietly building the first concrete bilateral channel for AI incidents between the two AI superpowers. With Trump's own Doral resort floated as a December G20 venue and Iran now entangled in the trade track, the September 24 summit is shaping up as much about leader-to-leader atmospherics as about deliverables.
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