China’s Xi calls for cooperation with U.S. on AI

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for increased cooperation between China and the United States in the field of artificial intelligence during his first U.S. state visit in over a decade, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement. Xi emphasized the potential for collaboration over competition in AI during a state dinner in the White House, where he and U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly reached a "common understanding on many issues."

They discussed new opportunities and strengthened U.S.-China relations, with Xi highlighting the importance of AI and the need to control its use, ensuring it remains under human control and supports progress. Xi likened the objectives of U.S. President Trump's "make America great again" agenda to China's own "national rejuvenation" goal, stating they were mutually reinforcing.

Both leaders held bilateral talks earlier in the day, with positive outcomes, though no clear details were released. The U.S. and China had previously agreed to extend their trade truce by two months to early January. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng also discussed setting up a U.S.-China alert system for AI incidents, reflecting growing concerns over AI safety.

This diplomatic engagement was prompted by increasing anxiety over AI safety, following calls from several major U.S. frontier labs for a temporary slowdown in AI development. Xi's state visit to the U.S. occurred just months after Trump's recent visit to Beijing.