U.S., China to hold AI talks in September led by Treasury Secretary Bessent

The United States and China are preparing to conduct formal talks on artificial intelligence in September, marking a significant diplomatic step toward managing the risks posed by each nation's most advanced AI systems. According to five people familiar with the matter, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will lead the American side of the negotiations. The talks are expected to take place ahead of Chinese leader Xi Jinping's planned visit to the United States on September 24, though the exact dates have not yet been confirmed. These discussions represent a major outcome from the summit held between President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in May, signaling both nations' commitment to addressing AI-related concerns at the highest levels. As the U.S. and China compete intensely in developing frontier AI models—the most capable systems currently available—both superpowers have grown increasingly concerned about the other's technological prowess. The accelerating global AI race has heightened anxiety on both sides, making structured dialogue a priority for managing the geopolitical and security implications of these powerful technologies.

These talks emerge from the May summit between Trump and Xi Jinping as the two superpowers confront a shared challenge: managing the risks of increasingly powerful AI systems developed by each nation. Both the U.S. and China are investing heavily in frontier AI models—the most advanced systems capable of complex reasoning and generation—and each side has grown anxious about the other's capabilities as the global AI race accelerates. By placing Treasury Secretary Bessent at the helm of the U.S. delegation, the administration signals that AI governance intersects with economic and financial oversight, reflecting the technology's deep impact on commerce and competitiveness. The timing, anchored around Xi's U.S. visit in late September, suggests both nations view the dialogue as urgent enough to coordinate at the leadership level.