U.S. President Donald Trump salutes next to Chinese President Xi Jinping before delivering remarks at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on September 24, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

U.S. and Chinese economic officials discussed creating a communication channel for AI concerns at meetings on Sunday (September 20, 2026) as they set the stage for a summit of the countries’ top leaders this week.

The talks come as both powers confront rising fears that increasingly capable artificial intelligence systems could wipe out humanity, offering a rare incentive for cooperation despite an intensifying race for technological supremacy.

“We just had a very successful engagement with the Chinese on trade and AI,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters after long talks with a team led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

The talks are a prelude to a planned White House meeting on Thursday (September 24) of the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies: U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The discussions, which also included the top U.S. trade official Jamieson Greer, lasted around eight hours at JPMorgan Chase’s headquarters in New York.

Mr. Bessant said the two sides discussed setting up a way to communicate about AI issues called the “U.S.-China AI dialogue.” “The U.S. has proposed that we have a notification mechanism between the two countries,” Mr. Bessent said.

Such notifications are for potential “incidents,” or a situation “that rises up to a national security level from AI,” he said, adding that both sides have agreed to meet again.

Mr. Bessent and Donald Trump also spoke one-on-one during the day, a source familiar with the matter said.

Chinese state media described the meetings as “candid, in-depth, and constructive” on Monday (September 21).

“The two sides engaged in discussions on key economic and trade issues of mutual interest, such as implementing the consensus from previous consultations and promoting bilateral trade and investment,” Xinhua news agency said in a brief readout.

Chinese and U.S. officials also held a dialogue on “issues related to AI”, Xinhua added, without giving any further details.

Chinese official Li Chenggang, who was elevated to a top-level international trade representative post shortly before the meetings, was present in the New York talks too. But the Chinese delegation did not address reporters.

Mr. Greer stressed on Sunday (September 20) it is “imperative that we are able to work together.”

Both sides are looking to ease tensions on trade, technology and other strategic concerns. These include the possible extension of a trade truce and guardrails for AI development.

Non-sensitive trade

Asked about the possibility of mutual tariff reduction on certain goods, Mr. Greer said teams “are continuing to work through this.”

The aim is to identify “non-sensitive” goods that can be considered separately from trade measures in the future, he added.

Such products could include consumer goods from the Chinese side and energy, agricultural, and other products, such as medical devices, on the U.S. side.

Beyond less sensitive items, U.S. officials are also seeking to ensure the continued flow of rare earth magnets and critical minerals that are vital for U.S. manufacturers.

Working level meetings could continue into Monday (September 21), a source familiar with discussions earlier told AFP.

Previous negotiations saw China pledge purchases of U.S. agriculture goods too, and their fulfilment of the terms could also be an issue under scrutiny.

Another issue is U.S. economic pressure on Iran, as Washington’s war with Tehran has entered its seventh month.

China is a top economic partner of Iran that buys much of its oil output and a key diplomatic backer.

Analysts caution that expectations for the Trump-Xi summit are low.

“One of the only things we can hope for in the short term is a truce, and that this will likely continue through the remainder of this year,” said former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.

“I think you will hear the President announce the intention to meet with Xi Jinping two more times,” added Mr. Campbell, who is now chairman of The Asia Group consultancy.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi are expected to meet in November at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Shenzhen, China. Mr. Trump is also anticipated to invite Mr. Xi to the G20 summit in December at his Doral resort in Miami.

Published – September 21, 2026 09:32 am IST

Philippines Defence Minister Gilberto Teodoro speaks during an interview at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on May 30, 2026
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Chinese President Xi Jinping with U.S. President Donald Trump at Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing, on May 15, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrive for a state dinner at the Great Hall of the People on May 14, 2026, in Beijing.
| Photo Credit: AP

Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcome U.S. President Donald Trump with a handshake on Thursday (May 14, 2026) and Mr. Trump the two countries should be “partners and not rivals” as they met for talks in Beijing.

“A stable China-U.S. relationship is a boon for the world. Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both. We should be partners and not rivals,” Mr. Xi said.

Mr. Xi added he was “happy” to receive Mr. Trump for the U.S. leader’s first trip to China since 2017 as “the world has arrived at a new crossroads.”

We’re going to have a fantastic future together, says Trump

Mr. Trump told Mr. Xi that the two superpowers would have a “fantastic future together”.

“It’s an honor to be with you. It’s an honor to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before.” Mr. Trump said at the meeting in the Great Hall of the People, adding that the two nations were going to “have a fantastic future together”.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Xi welcomed Mr. Trump in Beijing for a superpower summit on thorny issues including Iran, trade and Taiwan.

Mr. Xi greeted Mr. Trump at the opulent Great Hall of the People at just past 10:00 a.m. (0200 GMT), a grand reception that belies the deep tensions between the world’s biggest economies.

Accompanied by Mr. Trump, Mr. Xi shook hands with several U.S. officials, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — who was known throughout his career as a fierce opponent of Beijing.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi stood in the centre as a Chinese military band played The Star-Spangled Banner and then the Chinese national anthem as cannons fired.

Jumping schoolchildren in brightly coloured outfits waving U.S. and Chinese flags chanted “welcome, welcome” as Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi walked past them in the square.

The two leaders will also enjoy a state banquet at the hall in the evening, and Mr. Trump will visit the historic Temple of Heaven, a World Heritage site where China’s emperors once prayed for good harvest.

The U.S. President arrived for the two-day summit on Air Force One late on Wednesday (May 13) accompanied by top CEOs, including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Tesla’s Elon Musk — symbols of business deals Mr. Trump hopes to reach.

The trip to Beijing marks the first by a U.S. President in nearly a decade, after Mr. Trump visited in 2017, accompanied — unlike this time — by his wife Melania.

‘Big hug’

Top of Mr. Trump’s wish list will be business deals on agriculture, aircraft and other topics, with a host of top businessmen in the U.S. leader’s delegation.

Aboard Air Force One en route to Beijing, Mr. Trump vowed on social media to push Mr. Xi to “open up” China to U.S. firms “so that these brilliant people can work their magic”.

But Mr. Trump is dealing with a different and more emboldened China to the one he visited nine years ago, with a host of unresolved trade and geopolitical tensions between the two countries.

The Iran war in particular has threatened to weaken Mr. Trump’s position in talks with Mr. Xi, having already forced him to postpone it from March.

The U.S. President said he expected a “long talk” with Mr. Xi about Iran, which sells most of its U.S.-sanctioned oil to China, but insisted that “I don’t think we need any help with Iran” from Beijing.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a somewhat different tone.

“We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to walk away from what they are doing now, and trying to do now in the Persian Gulf,” Mr. Rubio told broadcaster Fox News in an interview aired Wednesday (May 13).

Tariff truce?

The long-simmering trade war between the two countries will also be top of the agenda, after Mr. Trump’s sweeping tariffs last year triggered tit-for-tat levies that exceeded 100%.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi are set to discuss extending a one-year tariff truce, which the two leaders reached during their last meeting in South Korea in October, although a deal is far from certain.

On Taiwan, another issue that has bedevilled ties, Mr. Trump said on Monday (May 11) he would speak to Mr. Xi about U.S. arms sales to the self-governing democracy claimed by China.

That would be a departure from historic U.S. insistence that it will not consult Beijing on its support for the island, and one which will be closely watched by Taipei and U.S. allies in the region.

China’s controls on rare earth exports, AI rivalry and the countries’ raucous trade relationship are also among the topics expected to be taken up by the two heads of state.

Both sides will be looking to come out of the summit with whatever wins they can, while also stabilising an often tense relationship between Beijing and Washington that has global implications.

Mr. Trump will also be hoping to leave with a firm date for a reciprocal visit by Mr. Xi to the United States later in 2026, to prove his rapport with his Chinese counterpart.

Published – May 14, 2026 08:11 am IST

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters