U.S.-China officials hold trade and AI talks ahead of Washington summit

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US-China trade & AI talks

Highlights

U.S. and Chinese officials, including Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, held talks in New York to shape the agenda for the Washington summit amid escalating economic tensions.
Key summit topics include artificial intelligence, with the Trump administration advocating for voluntary and national-security-focused AI safeguards instead of mandatory rules.
The current U.S.-China tariff truce, which suspends heightened reciprocal tariffs until Nov. 10 and includes commitments on rare earths and agriculture, adds pressure ahead of Xi's Washington visit.

New York talks shape summit agenda

According to CNBC, Bessent said in a post to X that he and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng are continuing discussions on the U.S.-China economic and trade relationship ahead of the leaders' meeting in Washington. He said the talks are intended to help lay the groundwork for President Donald Trump to pursue U.S. economic interests and produce results for the American public.

Before the meeting at JPMorgan Chase in New York, Bessent tells reporters he looks forward to focused, fulsome and constructive discussions that set the stage for this week's summit between the leaders of the world's two largest national economies. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is also expected to take part in the talks.

The meeting comes before Xi's visit to Washington this week, his first during Trump's second term. Trump visits Beijing earlier this year as tensions between the two economies escalate.

Tariffs, rare earths and AI in focus

The discussions take place as Washington and Beijing remain in strategic competition over trade and technology. Artificial intelligence is emerging as a central issue as policymakers in Washington debate safety and national security risks while the U.S. and China compete for technological leadership.

The Trump administration favors voluntary and national-security-focused safeguards over broader mandatory rules for AI developers, and the issue is expected to be part of the leaders' talks. Trade is also likely to feature prominently, including the current U.S.-China truce under which Washington suspends heightened reciprocal tariffs on Chinese imports until Nov. 10.

That truce includes Chinese commitments on rare-earth exports and U.S. agricultural purchases, while the Trump administration reduces some tariffs and suspends higher duties on Chinese goods. The approaching Nov. 10 deadline keeps pressure on both sides as they head into a high-stakes summit.

U.S.-China economic talks in New York were presented as an effort to line up limited deliverables ahead of the Trump-Xi summit in Washington. Our publication previously noted that the agenda spans AI guardrails, potential tariff relief on non-strategic goods, and restoring critical-mineral and rare-earth supply flows under the truce set to expire on Nov. 10. The piece also highlighted that both sides are weighing trade-package elements such as stepped-up Chinese purchases of U.S. goods, including energy and agriculture measures.

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