China and the US agree to set up a new AI safety channel, and to keep talking on trade, military

China and the United States have reached an agreement to establish a new channel for handling AI-related incidents and to enhance military crisis communications following a three-day summit in Washington. The two nations also agreed to continue working on bilateral trade issues, military-to-military dialogue, and crisis-management mechanisms.

President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing after the summit, where he had warm discussions with President Donald Trump, despite the ongoing trade war between the two countries. Both sides will set up a communication mechanism for AI-related incidents and discussed related risks and benefits, with an AI-specific dialogue scheduled for November.

They also agreed to continue working on reducing reciprocal tariffs on approximately $30 billion worth of goods. The summit resulted in no major breakthroughs, but some experts consider the steps toward greater cooperation important, as they allow the two powers to establish working groups that could prevent problems from escalating.