Xi Tells Trump There Is More Opportunity for AI Cooperation Than Competition

China’s Xi Jinping has told U.S. President Donald Trump that the two countries have more to gain from working together on artificial intelligence than from competing against each other. The message came during a meeting in the White House Oval Office on Thursday local time.

Xi said there is more opportunity for cooperation than competition on AI. He urged continued dialogue, saying the two sides can “exchange views on risks and benefits, and together guard against the misuse or malicious use of AI.”

Xi’s Words on Control and Risk

Xi noted that AI is important to both the United States and China. He said, “Both sides have competition. Cooperation, even more so.” He also stressed that humans should maintain control of AI and that AI should support human progress.

The remarks came amid ongoing friction between the two countries. The U.S. has restricted China’s access to advanced semiconductors used to train AI models. The U.S. has also criticized Chinese companies for allegedly taking part in illicit distillation of American AI capabilities.

Recent incidents have raised fears that increasingly autonomous AI models could make attacks faster and harder to contain.

Bessent’s Proposal

Earlier this week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said after meeting Chinese negotiators in New York that the two sides had discussed setting up a “U.S.-China AI Dialogue.” Bessent said the U.S. proposed introducing an alert system for AI incidents.

China’s Commerce Ministry confirmed Thursday that its senior trade negotiators had held their first talks with the U.S. on AI.

What the Talks Covered So Far

The first round of talks centered on the alert system proposal.

The Commerce Ministry’s confirmation that talks took place is notable because it confirms the U.S. proposal was received.

Next Steps

The two sides have agreed to hold talks. Whether they agree to act is another matter.

The U.S. has a record of criticizing Chinese companies while restricting Chinese access to its own technology.

The question is whether the meetings produce concrete steps or remain symbolic.

The two sides have agreed to hold talks. Whether they agree to act is another matter.

1. The U.S. has restricted China’s access to advanced semiconductors used to train AI models.
2. The U.S. has criticized Chinese companies for allegedly taking part in illicit distillation of American AI capabilities.
3. Bessent proposed an alert system for AI incidents.
4. China’s Commerce Ministry confirmed the first talks took place.

The alert system remains a proposal on the table. The two sides have now held their first talks on AI. The question is whether the meetings produce concrete steps or remain symbolic.

Where the paper stands

The paper backs narrow rules against direct harm, such as forcing companies to disclose safety failures they hid, and is against broad rules that hand the market to the incumbents. That principle applies here too: a shared alert system for AI incidents is a targeted measure aimed at risk, not a sweeping license or regulation that favors the giants. The paper opposes letting big companies hide their failures, and an alert system fits that same logic — it exposes failure rather than shielding it.

The talks themselves are a step worth watching, but the paper wants action, not just talk. The U.S. has already restricted China’s access to advanced semiconductors and criticized Chinese companies over alleged theft, so the sincerity of these AI discussions depends on whether they produce real measures against misuse, not just warm words about cooperation. The reader should watch whether the alert system moves from proposal to practice, and whether the two sides actually guard against misuse together rather than merely agreeing to meet again.

Source material: “China's Xi urges U.S. to cooperate on AI,” CNBC.

AI · Bessent · China · semiconductors · Trump · US · Xi Jinping