BEIJING—China’s Ministry of Commerce confirmed Thursday that senior trade negotiators held first-ever discussions with the United States on artificial intelligence.
Spokesperson He Yadong told reporters that the two countries also discussed tariff reductions and plans to extend the trade deal agreed in Kuala Lumpur in October last year.
He was referring to Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng’s meeting with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in New York ahead of this week’s summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Upon Xi’s arrival in the United States, Bessent told Fox News on Wednesday that the two countries had agreed to extend the trade ceasefire until January. A ceasefire signed in October 2025 lowered tariffs and limited China’s export restrictions on rare earths, which are key components in semiconductors and many household and defense products.
Bessent said earlier in the week that the two sides discussed establishing an AI dialogue and a mechanism to alert each other about AI risks.
China’s approval of the AI talks was announced hours before Mr. Xi and President Trump were scheduled to begin talks in Washington, D.C., as part of a state visit.
In a post on Truth Social early Thursday morning, President Trump said the leaders would discuss AI.
“Big day with Chinese President Xi. Superintelligence (SI) will be a big topic, but I want to leave it at that. That is also China’s position. Our guardrail is the Department of Justice!” he wrote.
The president has been vocal in his opposition to further regulation of AI, repeating his position at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday: “We’re not going to regulate it, we’re going to promote it.”
The ministry added that the two countries held constructive and frank discussions and reached several points of agreement.
Both countries are considering how to address the risks posed by rapidly advancing technology, after recent incidents involving AI systems raised concerns that increasingly autonomous models could make attacks faster and harder to contain.
