The bilateral meeting, held in New York, focused on establishing a U.S.–China AI dialogue that would include a notification system for AI‑related incidents that rise to a national‑security level, Bessent said. He emphasized that greater transparency between the world’s two leading AI powers is essential for managing common threats.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer clarified that export controls on advanced AI chips and semiconductor‑manufacturing equipment were not on the agenda for the AI mechanism talks, noting the discussions were intended to lay groundwork for a “successful summit” between Trump and Xi on Sept. 24‑25 in Washington.
The talks also revisited a May‑agreed process for each side to identify potential tariff reductions on non‑strategic goods, referred to as the “Board of Trade.” Greer described the aim as creating a “relatively small subset” of balanced trade items, citing possible Chinese exports such as consumer goods and low‑tech items, and U.S. exports like energy, agricultural products and medical devices.
Chinese state media reported that the exchanges were “frank, in‑depth, and constructive” on key economic and trade matters, including the AI dialogue. However, Bessent and Greer did not provide updates on unresolved issues from the May Beijing meeting, such as Chinese commitments to increase U.S. agricultural purchases or to buy more than 200 Boeing aircraft.
Analysts, including China‑trade specialist Anna Ashton, view the incremental progress as a way to avoid escalation in a delicate trade relationship that has broad implications for the global economy. Meanwhile, U.S. Representative Ro Khanna urged the summit to produce an international AI‑safety agreement that would ban self‑improving AI and safeguard against misuse for weapons development.