Trump and Xi's AI Discussions: A Year in Review
Trump and Xi Jinping already discussed AI guardrails this year, but no agreements were signed and no chips were shipped. Sam Altman, Jensen Huang, and Tim Cook are expected at the state dinner hosted by Donald Trump on September 24th, with the same executives having joined the Beijing trip in May.
Previous Encounters
May 14, 2026: Trump and Xi met in Beijing, where AI safety (164news.com's guide to ai safety) was discussed. While no agreement was reached, the US trade representative stated that chip export controls were not brought up.
Current Standstill
- Chip Export Controls: Washington has licensed roughly ten Chinese companies to purchase Nvidia’s H200, but not a single chip has shipped.
- Chinese Customs Blocking: Chinese customs continues to block shipments, and suppliers of H200 components have paused production.
- Mutual Deadlock: The situation is a deadlock, with American licenses carrying security and diversion conditions that Beijing refuses to accept, and Beijing steering its buyers towards Huawei and domestic alternatives.
Key Players
- Jensen Huang (Nvidia): Runs the company with significant China exposure, supporting export controls while facing accusations of lobbying to loosen them.
- Tim Cook (Apple): Heads a firm with deep manufacturing ties to China.
- Sam Altman (OpenAI): Represents an AI model banned in China.
Safety Concerns and Market Access
Safety concerns, as outlined by Dario Amodei in his September 12th essay, hang over the upcoming visit. The proposal suggests maintaining restrictions on sales of advanced chips and chipmaking equipment to China. The same essay was covered by TNW, highlighting a pre-rejected safety agenda for discussion.