US Treasury chief to raise AI safety and trade issues in New York talks with China

63 outlets1h agoImportance 6/10

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York over the weekend, with artificial‑intelligence safety slated as a key topic alongside trade, rare‑earth mineral supplies and other financial matters. The discussions will address both open‑source and proprietary AI models and aim to manage shared risks as the two sides head toward a summit between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping.

China’s Ministry of State Security has warned that generative AI tools are being weaponised to spread false political rumors and incite social discord, while Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has urged a slowdown in the development of frontier AI models. Chinese officials have dismissed Amodei’s plea as fear‑mongering and called for collaborative global AI governance.

How this was covered

Left-leaning outlets covered this 4h later

Why it matters

How the United States and China handle AI safety and trade could shape global technology standards and security.

How the sides frame it

MODERATE AGREEMENT

Left-leaning coverage stresses the dangerous AI rivalry and calls for regulation, right-leaning coverage frames AI as a security threat that justifies a U.S. edge, while centrist coverage reports the diplomatic talks in a neutral tone.

LEFT

AI rivalry is portrayed as a high-stakes, potentially unsafe competition where China is rapidly advancing and the U.S. is fearful, prompting calls for regulation and cooperation.

CENTER

The story is presented as a straightforward report of upcoming U.S.-China talks on AI safety and trade, noting both sides’ positions without evaluative language.

RIGHT

AI is framed as a security threat from China that requires the United States to protect its technological advantage and counter Chinese “fearmongering.”

The left emphasises

China’s rapid AI development is “second only to the United States” and closing the gap (left-leaning coverage).
Calls for regulation and concern over existential AI risks (left-leaning coverage).
Criticism of Trump’s dismissive stance toward AI slowdown (left-leaning coverage).

The right emphasises

Anthropic CEO’s warning that a “Chinese lead in AI would pose great danger” (right-leaning coverage).
U.S. effort to maintain technological edge and promote open-source models (right-leaning coverage).
Analogy to a Reagan-era arms race to justify a hard line on China (right-leaning coverage).

How this story developed

Jul 28 AI leaders urge U.S. to back global framework for slowing automated AI progress
Sep 15 Democratic senators organized briefings and proposed bills while bipartisan senators advanced a legislative path.
Sep 15 President Donald Trump rejected the CEOs' appeals and senior Republicans signaled reluctance, while Senator John Kennedy introduced a “kill switch” proposal.
Sep 15 China’s security ministry released a notice warning that generative AI tools are being weaponised by hostile forces.
Sep 15 Trump and Xi are unlikely to agree to an AI slowdown at the upcoming summit.
Sep 16 While a recent poll shows two-thirds of Americans fear AI could end humanity, conference goers largely dismissed imminent extinction. Attendees such as Dean Levita and Henry Sandles said they trust safeguards and focus on labor displacement, while Sara Jamison and Ashleigh Kaye highlighted the environmental toll of data centers. Others, like Deep Karia and Soumya Nimmu, worried about privacy, mental-health strain and misuse of AI in deepfakes and weapons.
Sep 16 Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun called for multilateral AI cooperation at the Xiangshan Forum and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testified on maintaining America’s tech edge.
Sep 17 In response to recent high-profile incidents involving rogue AI agents, CEOs and founders such as Dario Amodei, Sam Altman, Demis Hassabis, Satya Nadella and Elon Musk signed a joint statement calling for slower progress. The proposal outlines three steps: third-party safety auditors, industry coordination on standards, and global cooperation among democratic governments. Companies like Anthropic have already pledged to allow external evaluators access to their models.
Sep 17 President Donald Trump met President Xi Jinping in Washington to discuss AI safety.
Sep 18 Mark Zuckerberg and Jensen Huang publicly opposed a unified slowdown, emphasizing market incentives.
Sep 18 Lawmakers have begun focusing on updating Section 230 and school‑board decisions related to AI.
Sep 19 In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump said the AI Force will mirror the Space Force and aim to protect the fast-growing AI sector. He promised the initiative will encourage development while using existing laws to curb abuses, and he pledged not to hinder the industry’s growth. The post also claimed AI could become as significant as the Internet, potentially representing a quarter of the U.S. economy, and asserted that the United States currently leads China in the field.
Sep 19 Trump added the AI Force proposal to his agenda.
Sep 20 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York to discuss AI safety and trade ahead of the Trump‑Xi summit.