In a statement Thursday, China’s Commerce Ministry confirmed that its senior trade negotiators had held their first talks with the U.S. on AI. The ministry added that the two sides held constructive, candid talks and reached multiple points of consensus.
Spokesperson He Yadong told reporters that the two sides also discussed plans to reduce tariffs and extend trade arrangements agreed to in Kuala Lumpur in October 2025.
The comments follow U.S. Trade Secretary Bessent’s earlier-in-the-week statement that the two sides discussed establishing an AI dialogue and a mechanism to alert each other to AI risks.
Moving forward, both countries are considering how to address the risks posed by rapidly advancing technology after recent incidents involving AI systems raised concerns that increasingly autonomous models could enable faster, harder-to-contain attacks.
The Chinese confirmation of the AI talks came just hours before Xi and Trump were scheduled to begin talks in Washington.
By CEO NA Editorial Staff
