Xi meets Trump – to discuss AI threat

Kristin Groth/TT 

Published 06.00

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump at a meeting in Beijing in May. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/AP/TT

The AI ​​arms race is in full swing, while concerns are growing that this lightning-fast technological development could pose a global threat.

Now, the leaders of these AI rivals—the US and China—are meeting.

US President Donald Trump will personally welcome Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on Wednesday—an unusually welcoming gesture from a US president.

"I will discuss almost everything with him," Trump said ahead of the meeting.

"Everything" in this context could refer to a wide range of topics. The trade war is a key issue where no lasting agreement has been secured; regarding the situation with Iran, China seeks to avoid US sanctions against countries that do business with Tehran.

This is because China is one of Tehran's primary economic and diplomatic partners.

The threat of a military confrontation over Taiwan also looms over the summit. Taiwan has effectively functioned as an independent state since 1949, yet the leadership in Beijing repeatedly threatens to seize the island by military means.

Taiwan has relied on US support to withstand growing pressure from China, though under Donald Trump, the US stance on the situation has increasingly become a subject of interpretation.

At the forefront

However, of all the issues that have strained relations between these major powers, AI appears set to take center stage at the summit, which is taking place on Thursday—the day after Xi’s arrival. The US and China are at the forefront of development, competing to be the best and the fastest.

Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that "whoever wins at AI wins," and that the US must ensure it maintains a technological lead over China in this area of ​​development.

China, for its part, has accused the US of seeking a monopoly by imposing export restrictions on advanced chips.

"Shared vision"

Experts consider the prospects for comprehensive AI cooperation between the two nations to be slim; however, ahead of the meeting, the US has proposed a new joint alert mechanism for AI incidents that could impact national security.

Both superpowers recognize AI-related risks such as cyberattacks, biological threats, and the potential for humans to lose control over AI systems.

"We want a shared vision regarding common goals and common threats," said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent following a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Sunday.

China now seeks to work with the US to build "strategic stability" and "manage differences," according to Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, speaking ahead of the summit.