China and U.S. Establish AI Safety Channel and Continue Trade and Military Discussions

BANGKOK (AP) — China and the United States agreed to establish a channel for handling AI-related incidents and accelerate work on military crisis communications following a three-day summit between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump in Washington, the two governments announced on Saturday. They also agreed to continue cooperating through a Board of Trade focused on selected bilateral issues, which the White House stated began operating this week. The summit did not produce major breakthroughs, but analysts noted that the steps toward greater cooperation were significant as they established working groups that could help prevent disputes from escalating. Xi returned to Beijing on Saturday, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. During the visit, Trump displayed unusual warmth toward Xi, despite having escalated a trade war with China the previous year that had global repercussions. The two sides agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding on strengthening crisis communications and preventing crises between their militaries, as stated by China's Foreign Ministry in its readout. The one-page statement from the Chinese side lacked detailed information. Both sides will establish a communication mechanism for artificial intelligence-related incidents to discuss associated risks and benefits, with an AI-specific dialogue scheduled for November. Trump indicated on Saturday that there would be limits on what the U.S. would share with China, stating that Washington would not slow its AI efforts. "The United States of America is not going to be putting on brakes," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "They want to stop our progress because we're leading China by a lot and we're going to keep it that way." He added, "I would rather not integrate because we're leading by a lot. When you're leading, you don't open it up to each other. We're leading by at least a year, maybe a year and a half. Some people say two years. I'm not looking to open it up." The statement from China indicated that both sides would continue to work together on the pledge to reduce reciprocal tariffs on approximately $30 billion worth of goods. During the summit, the two leaders agreed to extend a trade truce by two months. The White House statement noted that China agreed to import at least 10 million metric tons of coal from the U.S. in 2027 and 2028. Most of the reduction in tariffs is aimed at non-sensitive goods, such as agricultural products or holiday decorations. The White House also stated that both sides continued to address American concerns regarding rare earths supply, "with the goal of ensuring shipment levels return to appropriate levels." China imposed export controls on rare earths last year in response to U.S. tariffs, which reduced the supply sent to the U.S. and other countries. Both sides agreed to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, in November, and later at the G20 at the Trump National Doral Miami golf club in Florida. Both governments stated that Iran should honor its commitment not to develop nuclear weapons and that no country should charge tolls on international waterways, referencing the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has decreased significantly since the U.S. war with Iran began. The U.S. statement welcomed China's decision to impose export controls on two additional precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl, and both sides noted recent arrests in fentanyl-related cases. Although the summit did not resolve the fundamental differences between the countries, analysts remarked that the incremental progress was noteworthy. "Personal diplomacy between the two leaders is important, but the emphasis on working-level engagement, military-to-military dialogue and crisis-management mechanisms suggests an effort to make that stability more durable and institutionalized," said Wang Zichen, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing-based Center for China and Globalization.