Story perspectives

Bessent to Meet China on AI Risks Ahead of Xi Meeting

By Drooid · Sep 19, 2026, 2:15 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to discuss AI risks.
Bessent said the United States remains the AI leader and is open to avoiding shared risks.
The talks will cover both open-weight and closed-weight AI models.
The talks precede President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sept. 24.
Trump argued “whoever wins AI wins” and claimed regulation would help Beijing.

History

Historical Context

After the U.S. Department of Commerce added Huawei to the Entity List in May 2019 and tightened restrictions in May 2020, the list grew to nearly 1,400 companies by late 2020, reflecting a post-2008 shift toward emerging-technology controls. In response, China launched its “unreliable entities” list, effective September 2020, paving the way for today’s Bessent-He AI-risk talks.

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Story summary

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to discuss AI risks.
Bessent said the United States remains the AI leader and is open to avoiding shared risks.
The talks will cover both open-weight and closed-weight AI models.
The talks precede President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sept. 24.
Trump argued “whoever wins AI wins” and claimed regulation would help Beijing.

1 / 2