The United States has proposed a new US-China AI notification mechanism for incidents involving artificial intelligence that could pose a threat to national security, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said after talks with Chinese officials in New York.
The proposal was discussed during an eight-hour meeting with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, ahead of a planned White House meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping on Thursday, September 24.
Mr Bessent said the arrangement would form part of a wider “US-China AI dialogue”, allowing the two countries to communicate when an incident involving artificial intelligence reaches the level of a national security concern.
“We want a shared vision of common goals and common threats,” he told reporters. “Moving from opaque to more transparency between the No. 1 and the No. 2 AI powers in the world is very important.”
The talks also involved US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who said Washington and Beijing had laid the groundwork for the Trump-Xi summit. Chinese state media described the discussions as “candid, in-depth and constructive”, while confirming that artificial intelligence-related issues had been raised without giving further details.
Mr Bessent said both sides had agreed to continue discussions, with the proposed notification mechanism intended to provide a channel for exchanging information about serious AI-related risks.
The initiative comes as the US and China compete for dominance in artificial intelligence. Mr Trump has rejected calls to slow development, arguing that doing so could allow China to narrow the gap with American companies.
Trade remained a central part of the New York meeting. Mr Bessent and Mr Greer said the two countries had agreed to move ahead with a “Board of Trade”, first discussed by Mr Trump and Mr Xi during their meeting in Beijing in May.
Mr Greer said officials were still examining which “non-sensitive” goods could qualify for lower tariffs. The potential list includes consumer and agricultural products, energy and medical devices, although no final agreement was announced.
