US pitches new AI alert system to China for incidents affecting national security

By
FOX Local
Published September 20, 2026 10:17 PM CDT

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (R) speaks next to US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent during a media briefing after a meeting with China's Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York on September 20, 2026. He, China's top negotiator for trade, …

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The Brief

    • The U.S. pitched China on a new "notification mechanism" for reporting AI incidents that could affect national security.
    • The suggestion comes as the two sides made final preparations for this week’s meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
    • U.S. officials also announced that a new "Board of Trade" that was discussed during the last summit will move forward.

The United States is looking to establish a new "notification mechanism" with China that would be triggered in cases where artificial intelligence-related incidents could affect national security. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed the proposal Sunday as the two nations meet ahead of this week’s White House talks between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

What they're saying:

"We want a shared vision of common goals and common threats," Bessent told reporters after talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York. "We think that just like any cross-border activity, that moving from opaque to more transparency between the No. 1 and the No. 2 AI powers in the world is very important."

Big picture view:

The proposal comes as President Donald Trump has sought to maintain the United States’ lead in artificial intelligence and pushed back on recent calls to slow down AI development, arguing that would allow China to close the gap between the two countries. Trump has also announced plans to establish an "AI Force" that is modeled after Space Force and appoint an "AI Czar" to oversee the nation’s AI development.

Dig deeper:

Bessent’s comments came as he and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced that the groundwork was in place for Xi’s visit on Thursday. Additionally, they said that the countries have agreed to move forward with a "Board of Trade" that was discussed in May during Trump and Xi’s meeting in Beijing. 

Greer added that the two sides are still trying to work out which "nonsensitive" items could be considered for lower tariffs and said that list could include consumer and agricultural goods, energy products, and medicinal devices.

The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.


 

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