US proposes AI incident alert mechanism in talks with China, Bessent says

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that Washington has proposed a notification mechanism for artificial intelligence incidents that could affect national security. He made the remarks after meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York, describing the goal as moving from opacity to greater transparency between the world’s top two AI powers.

Bessent said the proposal came during weekend discussions ahead of a planned White House meeting on Thursday between President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, standing alongside Bessent, said the two sides had agreed to operationalize a new “Board of Trade” that the leaders had discussed during their May meeting in Beijing.

Greer added that the countries are still discussing which “nonsensitive” items could be considered for lower tariffs, with a potential list covering consumer goods, agricultural products, energy products and medical devices.

Trump has previously resisted calls to slow AI development, arguing that doing so would help China catch up with U.S. companies. China’s state news agency Xinhua said Bessent and He Lifeng discussed issues relating to AI and held candid, in-depth and constructive talks on key economic and trade matters.

George Chen, a partner at The Asia Group, said the agreement to continue dialogue is significant, and that the AI risk notification mechanism could set a precedent for other countries.