China, U.S. to set up AI incident channel, continue talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump concluded a three-day summit in Washington with agreements to establish a channel for handling AI-related incidents, accelerate military crisis communications and continue trade cooperation through a Board of Trade. Xi returned to Beijing after the meetings.

A joint readout said the countries will set up a mechanism to handle AI incidents and hold an AI-specific dialogue in November. The leaders agreed to work on a memorandum of understanding to strengthen military crisis communications and confirmed the Board of Trade began operating this week to address selected bilateral economic issues.

Officials indicated tariff reductions will target roughly $30 billion of goods, mainly non-sensitive items such as agricultural products and consumer goods, and extended a two-month trade truce. The White House noted China committed to import at least 10 million metric tons of U.S. coal in 2027 and 2028.

Both sides agreed to continue discussions aimed at restoring shipment levels of rare earths after China imposed export controls last year in response to U.S. tariffs. They also agreed to meet again at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen in November and at the G20 in Miami later in the year.

On security and law enforcement, the two governments called on Iran to honor its stated commitment not to develop nuclear weapons and agreed no country should charge tolls on international waterways. Officials welcomed China’s decision to add export controls on two precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl and noted recent fentanyl-related arrests.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump said the United States would not slow its AI development or broadly share advanced capabilities with China. He added, “The United States of America is not going to be putting on brakes,” and estimated the U.S. lead in AI at about one to two years.

China’s official readout was brief and provided few specifics on sensitive technologies. U.S. and Chinese officials characterized the summit’s results as creating institutional channels and working groups to reduce the risk that disputes escalate into crises, rather than as sweeping agreements on broader strategic issues.

Analysts noted the emphasis on working-level engagement and military-to-military dialogue. Wang Zichen, deputy secretary-general of the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing, described the focus on practical cooperation and crisis-management mechanisms as an effort to make stability more durable and institutionalized.

Officials said many details remain to be worked out in the coming months. The planned AI channel and the crisis-communications MOU are intended to provide routine points of contact for fast-moving incidents and to guide follow-up talks at upcoming summits.