US and China to Hold AI Discussions in September Ahead of Xi's Washington Visit

Washington and Beijing will convene in September to negotiate the regulation of artificial intelligence, as the two rival superpowers attempt to mitigate the risks associated with rapidly advancing technological models.

The discussions represent a direct outcome of the May summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The bilateral meetings are expected to occur prior to Xi's scheduled visit to the U.S. on September 24, according to Reuters.

Final dates for the intergovernmental dialogue remain undetermined.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is slated to lead the American delegation. The precise location, formal agenda, and the broader roster of participants for both nations are currently under deliberation.

Strategic Anxieties

Both governments are increasingly scrutinizing the deployment of advanced AI models.

Strategic concerns center on the potential for these technologies to enhance military operational capabilities, facilitate cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, and destabilize global labor markets.

During a recent television interview, Bessent highlighted intellectual property issues regarding foreign technological development.

"We are finding watermarks of our U.S. large language models on many of the Chinese models, and that's unacceptable," Bessent said. "We're going to be looking at that in the coming days or weeks."

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer confirmed that multiple federal agencies are evaluating the trade implications of foreign technological advancement.

"We're taking a very close look at how China is propagating its AI development to make sure that our companies compete ... on a level playing field," Greer stated.

First Official Dialogue Under Trump

The September talks will mark the initial official U.S.-China AI dialogue under the Trump administration.

Previous diplomatic efforts regarding AI under former President Joe Biden concluded with an agreement to maintain human control over nuclear weapon deployment.

Washington has already implemented export restrictions on advanced AI chips bound for China.

The administration has thus far refrained from adding Chinese technology firms such as DeepSeek and CXMT to formal trade blacklists to manage bilateral tensions.

In parallel, Chinese authorities are considering restrictions on foreign access to domestically developed AI systems.

Analysts indicate Beijing's agenda prioritizes addressing the hacking capabilities of Anthropic's unreleased Mythos system. China is also seeking clarity on potential U.S. regulations targeting Chinese open-weight models.

Chinese officials will finalize their inter-ministerial delegation over the coming month.

The government in Beijing aims to focus the bilateral discussions on technical engagement rather than broader political negotiations.