Washington Pitches an AI Incident Alert System to Beijing Before the Summit

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and China’s chief trade negotiator Li Chenggang also taking part¹. Bessent said the United States proposed an AI incident alert system in the talks^2,3,4. He called the engagement on AI threats, trade and investment “very successful” ahead of this week’s summit⁵. Officials picked up where they “left off in Beijing,” Bessent said¹⁷.

Both sides plan to meet again, with Li saying the talks were held in a good atmosphere and a working group set to continue^6,18. Bessent said the two governments will meet again on AI safety in two months, in Shenzhen^7,8. Forbes reported his account of the discussion of an alert system for AI safety incidents, given after the meeting and ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit later this week¹⁶.

The trade deliverables

Bessent said US and Chinese officials are considering lowering tariffs on “non-critical” items ahead of President Trump hosting Xi⁹. Greer said the two sides are working to identify non-sensitive items¹⁴, and that tariff cuts on non-strategic goods would sit inside a forum he calls the “Board of Trade”¹⁵. Establishing a stable Board of Trade is a key goal for the summit, according to Greer¹⁰.

On the truce itself, Greer indicated that the two countries remain divided on the terms of an extension^12,13, while saying there is time to discuss it¹³. He also said China is making progress on a commitment to buy 200 Boeing jets that it announced in May, without indicating any additional orders¹¹.

What is not on the table

Export controls are the visible limit of the exercise. Greer said US export controls were not part of the AI discussions¹⁵, and the United States has long imposed strict controls on the flow of advanced AI chips to China in an effort to slow Beijing’s development⁴.

For investors the near-term markers are narrow and checkable: whether a tariff list for non-critical goods emerges^9,14, whether the truce extension is agreed¹², and whether the aircraft order is finalised¹¹. The AI notification mechanism is a channel rather than a concession, with the next session already pencilled in for Shenzhen^6,7. The negotiating line-up itself is worth noting, since the same four principals who met in New York are expected to carry the file forward^1,18.