Low-hanging fruit for Xi and Trump to pluck at Shenzhen Apec summit

At the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump will meet again. Both sides aim to maintain a fragile strategic stability in their relations, driven by domestic concerns. President Xi seeks to minimize flux and uncertainty ahead of the 21st national congress, while President Trump is eager to secure visible wins on trade and investment after the Republican Party's poor showing in the US midterms. However, mere slogans are insufficient for improving relations; real results must be delivered.

To foster trust and lasting goodwill, three suggestions are proposed. Firstly, both leaders should commit to facilitating academic, student, cultural, and journalistic exchanges. While the number of American students in China has rebounded to fewer than 2,000 from a low during the pandemic, this is a significant decline from the 11,000 in 2019.

Genuine understanding requires full immersion, so invited students should be given ample time to experience China's diverse cultures, cities, and history. Additionally, the US should address the institutionalized mistrust that discourages American students from studying in China. The State Department's travel advisory should be adjusted to include both the benefits and risks of traveling to China.

Secondly, governance of artificial intelligence (AI) has become a rare area where both leaders seek common ground. During their September meeting, the AI incident notification mechanism suggested by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent should be formalized with the appointment of heads and the formation of a working group involving all key ministries and departments from both countries involved in AI safety.

Proof of concept, such as swiftly resolving an AI incident through collaboration, is necessary to convince both governments of the merits of coordination. Addressing social impacts, including youth unemployment caused by AI-driven automation, the influence of large tech companies, and misinformation on social media, can be tackled through productive engagement on AI during the summit. This could serve as an exemplar for coordination over other frontier technologies.

Lastly, the Greater Bay Area, where Shenzhen is located, presents an excellent opportunity for US-China collaboration in culture and higher education. The Chinese leadership should leverage the region's exceptional university ecosystem, with Hong Kong universities making significant strides in international rankings, as platforms for important conversations.

Topics such as youth entrepreneurship, climate change, cross-cultural understanding, and AI challenges can be addressed in this setting. Hong Kong itself is a vital part of the Greater Bay Area, and policymakers, investors, and academics should engage in regular high-level business and investment forums to mitigate misunderstandings and facilitate cross-border capital flows.