US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has proposed a joint AI‑safety notification system with China. The idea floated in talks with Vice Premier He Lifeng now requires final sign‑off from Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at their upcoming Washington summit.

Washington argues that the world’s two largest economies should abandon secrecy around advanced neural network development and agree on a transparent framework to identify common objectives and rapidly contain technological threats. Beijing has yet to respond officially, and state news agency Xinhua merely noted that AI featured on the agenda.

The ministers’ meeting was effectively a dress rehearsal ahead of Xi’s first trip to the United States during Trump’s second term. Beyond global AI governance, the leaders must urgently address a looming trade crunch: a temporary customs truce between the countries expires in early November, forcing Washington and Beijing to strike hard bargains on US chip exports, purchases of soybeans, and shipments of Chinese rare earths.