China-US pact on super intelligence calls for Asean alert

The United States and China's recent summit produced two significant developments for Asean to consider. The agreement to establish a dialogue on "super intelligence" (SI) and a bilateral communication channel for serious SI incidents is strategically important. The next SI summit is scheduled for November 2026. The Chinese framing of the relationship as a "constructive relationship of strategic stability" suggests that the two largest powers are attempting to balance competition with cooperation.

Asean should pay close attention to these developments, as the US and China are beginning to discuss the risks and benefits of advanced AI while creating a channel for potentially communicating serious incidents. This resembles an embryonic form of crisis management, similar to the strategic principle applied during the nuclear age.

Asean must ensure it has a seat at the table when the rules governing these potential dangers are written, as the region represents almost 700 million people and is rapidly attracting data centers, semiconductor investments, and AI-related industries. Asean should insist on meaningful human control over autonomous systems, stronger cyber security standards, sovereign protection of data, and due safeguards to protect critical infrastructure.

The emerging US-China rapprochement on terminology and strategic stability is encouraging, but Asean must remain vigilant to avoid becoming a rule-taker rather than a rule-shaper in the age of super intelligence.