US Open to AI Risk Talks With China Ahead of Xi Summit

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that Washington is open to discussing shared artificial intelligence risks with Beijing during upcoming bilateral talks, signaling a potential shift toward engagement on advanced computing governance.

"The United States remains the leader in AI, and we are open to discussions on avoiding shared risks and avoiding bifurcation of our two systems. We expect our discussions to cover both open and closed weight models," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated, according to an Axios report.

Upcoming High-Level Meetings

The remarks precede a series of diplomatic engagements scheduled for the weekend. According to Investing.com, Bessent stated on Tuesday that he will meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng ahead of a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week.

The discussions aim to establish baseline communications between the world's two largest economies regarding advanced technology. By addressing both open and closed weight models, negotiators intend to tackle divergent industry architectures where western proprietary systems and open-source models present distinct regulatory and national security challenges.

What Is at Stake for Global Tech Standards

The talks highlight efforts by the U.S. Treasury to manage technological competition without entirely severing digital supply chains or research channels. Avoiding systemic bifurcation remains a central focus as both nations navigate export controls, semiconductor restrictions, and the rapid deployment of generative AI across enterprise and defense sectors.