Xi Jinping in the US: Bilateral rivalry and artificial intelligence at the center of talks

Today in Washington, Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump are holding an important meeting, with the hope of advancing the resolution of the bilateral trade conflict. Their previous meeting, held in May in the Chinese capital, failed to bring tangible results.

According to Miko Huotari, director of the German institute MERICS, both Beijing and Washington believe that their rivalry will extend over a long-term period. Consequently, both sides aim to buy time, and the current situation is described as a “strategic impasse.”

A possible deal would bring benefits to the Republican Party ahead of the congressional elections to be held in November, but it remains uncertain whether something concrete will be achieved. Artificial intelligence is one of the key points of U.S.-China rivalry. The United States has restricted shipments of technologically advanced chips to China, while China has imposed restrictions on the export of rare metals necessary for the production of these components.

The agenda of the Xi-Trump meeting is also expected to include measures to guard against the risks posed by artificial intelligence. China favors international cooperation in the development of this technology, in contrast to the Trump administration, which perceives its regulation as an element that could erode American technological leadership. After talks held in New York, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that officials from both countries had examined the idea of an “alarm mechanism” to share information on security incidents related to AI.

Recently, China has intensified contacts with U.S. allies and other countries. Xi Jinping has taken part in the BRICS summit in India and in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan, while Beijing will host the APEC summit in November.