The United States and China are preparing to hold high-level talks on artificial intelligence in September, marking the first official AI dialogue between the world’s two largest economies under President Donald Trump’s administration.
The discussions, expected to take place before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit to the United States on September 24, come as Washington and Beijing seek to manage growing competition over increasingly powerful AI technologies while addressing the risks they pose to global security, cyber stability and economic growth.
The talks are one of the most significant outcomes of the Trump-Xi summit held in May and are still in the early planning stages, with the agenda, location and final dates yet to be confirmed.
Growing AI Rivalry
Artificial intelligence has become a central area of strategic competition between the United States and China, with both governments racing to develop increasingly advanced frontier AI models while trying to prevent the technology from creating new security threats.
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Officials on both sides are concerned that advanced AI systems could strengthen military capabilities, facilitate cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and disrupt labour markets.
The September dialogue is expected to explore how both countries can address these risks while maintaining their technological competitiveness.
Bessent Expected to Lead US Delegation
According to sources familiar with the plans, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to lead the American delegation.
The identities of the remaining participants from both countries have not yet been finalized, with governments continuing internal discussions over who will attend and which issues will take priority.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing remains willing to work with Washington to implement the consensus on artificial intelligence reached by Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, describing AI as one of the major challenges facing the international community.
Neither the White House nor the U.S. State Department immediately commented on the planned talks.
Intellectual Property Concerns
Speaking on Fox Business Network this week, Bessent stopped short of confirming the meeting but highlighted Washington’s concerns over intellectual property.
“We are finding watermarks of our U.S. large language models on many of the Chinese models, and that’s unacceptable,” he said.
“We’re going to be looking at that in the coming days or weeks.”
His comments reflect growing concerns within the U.S. government that Chinese AI developers may be benefiting from American technological advances.
First Official AI Dialogue Under Trump
Although former President Joe Biden held working-level AI discussions with China in Geneva in 2024, the planned September meeting would represent the first official bilateral AI dialogue under Trump’s second administration.
The United States has already imposed export restrictions on some of the world’s most advanced AI chips destined for China.
At the same time, Washington has delayed placing several major Chinese technology firms, including AI startup DeepSeek and memory chipmaker CXMT, on its trade blacklist in an apparent effort to avoid further escalating tensions.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said multiple government agencies are reviewing China’s AI sector, citing concerns over forced technology transfer, intellectual property protection and state subsidies.
“We’re taking a very close look at how China is propagating its AI development to make sure that our companies compete on a level playing field,” Greer said.
China Seeks Technical Cooperation
Beijing is also reviewing its own AI policies ahead of the meeting.
Chinese authorities are considering restrictions on overseas access to the country’s most advanced AI models amid concerns about cybersecurity risks and the capabilities of next-generation systems.
Analysts say China hopes the discussions will focus on technical cooperation rather than political disputes.
Among Beijing’s priorities are understanding how the United States plans to regulate future frontier AI models, whether Washington will restrict Chinese open-weight AI systems, and addressing concerns surrounding advanced models such as Anthropic’s Mythos.
Chinese officials are expected to spend the coming weeks deciding which ministries and agencies will participate in the talks.
Setting Ground Rules for AI
Experts caution that the first round of discussions is unlikely to produce major agreements but could establish a framework for future cooperation.
Paul Triolo, a partner at DGA-Albright Stonebridge Group, said the two countries are more likely to focus initially on defining common terminology and identifying areas where cooperation is possible.
“This is the first meeting. They’re unlikely to solve any major problems. I think they will try to agree to some basic terms, like what defines a frontier AI model,” he said.
With AI rapidly becoming one of the defining technologies of global competition, the planned dialogue represents an important attempt by Washington and Beijing to establish communication channels even as broader strategic rivalry continues to intensify.
With information from Reuters.
