Bessent hails ‘very successful’ China talks on AI and trade

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent briefs reporters after a meeting with China's Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York on Sunday. | AFP-JIJI

Bloomberg

Sep 21, 2026

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent lauded “very successful” talks with his Chinese counterparts that spanned artificial intelligence, trade and investment ahead of this week’s summit between leaders Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

Bessent, speaking to reporters after hours of talks in New York with China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng and other officials, said the two sides agreed to set up a dialogue on AI aimed at reaching a common understanding on goals and threats. They plan to meet again, with top Chinese trade negotiator Li Chenggang saying the talks were held in a good atmosphere and a working group would continue discussions on Monday.

“The U.S. has proposed that we have a notification mechanism between the two countries, and we want a shared vision of common goals and common threats,” Bessent said, adding that it would be called the “U.S.-China AI dialogue.” Later this week, Trump is scheduled to host Xi at the White House in the Chinese leader’s first state visit to Washington in more than a decade.

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