US and China agree to open a channel for AI incidents after the Trump-Xi summit in Washington
The two governments also agreed to speed up work on military crisis communications. Analysts said the three-day visit produced no major breakthroughs.
The United States and China have agreed to set up a communication channel for incidents involving artificial intelligence. Both governments announced it after President Xi Jinping's three-day state visit to Washington. According to the Associated Press, the sides also agreed to speed up work on military crisis communications. China's Foreign Ministry said they would sign a memorandum of understanding on strengthening crisis communications and preventing crises between the two militaries, though its one-page readout gave few details. The countries also agreed to keep cooperating through a Board of Trade that handles selected bilateral issues, and the White House said the board began operating this week. Al Jazeera reported that Trump and Xi discussed AI, trade and the stalled war in Iran. The two leaders confirmed they will meet a third and fourth time this year, at international summits in China and the US. Analysts quoted by the AP said the summit produced no major breakthroughs. They still considered the new working groups important because they could help keep disputes from escalating. Before the summit, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had said the US proposed an AI incident "notification mechanism" with China. The agreement turns that proposal into a stated commitment between the world's two largest AI powers, although neither side has published operating details.