Bessent says U.S. and China should 'harbor no illusions' as they work together on AI

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that the United States and China should "harbor no illusions" about their differences. He said the two countries can work together to contain the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) while still competing with each other ¹.

Bessent spoke in New York to the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. He said the two governments have set up a new dialogue on super intelligence, meaning AI systems far more capable than today's. The aim is to guard against shared risks and avoid misunderstanding between the two countries' systems ¹.

What the new channel would do

Under the plan, both sides would swap best practices for testing advanced AI models before they are released. They would also work on keeping human judgement firmly in command of the technology. Bessent said he expects each side to alert the other to serious incidents involving these models ¹.

The channel grows out of Xi Jinping's September visit to Washington. There, the two countries agreed to start an AI dialogue with a communications line to help defuse serious incidents ¹. In an earlier CNBC interview, Bessent described wanting an "incident line" and agreement on what the leading AI dangers are ².

From Channel GOPWhitehouse presses Bessent on IRS leak settlementSheldon Whitehouse · 647 plays · captioned, with the source named

No limits on the technology

Bessent did not commit either country to slowing AI development. Washington and Beijing are in an intense race for global dominance in the field ¹.

The Trump administration has largely resisted broader limits on AI development. Its concern is giving up an edge to China. More recently, the president has signaled some openness to safeguards ¹. In a CBS interview released Sunday, he said he did not want rules that leave the U.S. in "a deep second position" behind China. He claimed China has no such restrictions ¹.

China's foreign ministry said in September that fearmongering and confrontation would only disrupt global AI governance. It dismissed calls to slow down the most advanced models ¹. China's ambassador, Xie Feng, told the audience that both countries' efforts were "indispensable" to improving AI governance ¹.

Our interests will not always coincide, and our approach to every challenge likewise will not always converge

What happens next

Trump and Xi are expected to meet for the third time next week. The meeting is on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' meeting, Nov. 18 to 19, and Bessent is expected to join ¹. In September, Bessent said another round of AI talks was planned in China in about two months ².

The event took place as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang faces scrutiny. Huang admitted to an extramarital affair with a Chinese businesswoman whom U.S. intelligence officials suspect of espionage. Huang joined Trump's delegation to Beijing in May, and his presence at next week's summit is in doubt ¹.

Analysis: The Huang case shows the tension Bessent described. Washington wants talks with Beijing on AI safety. It also restricts exports of the most advanced chips to China and accuses Chinese developers of copying American models, which it calls industrial-scale distillation ¹.

The Record

1. Sep 20, 2026Bessent says U.S. and Chinese officials formalized "the USA-China AI dialogues" in talks with Vice Premier He Lifeng ².
2. Nov 10, 2026Bessent tells the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations the two countries have set up a dialogue on "super intelligence" ¹.
3. Nov 18, 2026Trump and Xi are expected to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' meeting, Nov. 18-19 ¹.

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<h2>Bessent says U.S. and China should &#39;harbor no illusions&#39; as they work together on AI</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files White House Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/bessent-says-u-s-and-china-should-harbor-no-illusions-as-they-work-together-on-ai">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.</em></p> <p>Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that the United States and China should &quot;harbor no illusions&quot; about their differences. He said the two countries can work together to contain the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) while still competing with each other .</p> <p>Bessent spoke in New York to the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. He said the two governments have set up a new dialogue on super intelligence, meaning AI systems far more capable than today&#39;s. The aim is to guard against shared risks and avoid misunderstanding between the two countries&#39; systems .</p> <h2>What the new channel would do</h2> <p>Under the plan, both sides would swap best practices for testing advanced AI models before they are released. They would also work on keeping human judgement firmly in command of the technology. Bessent said he expects each side to alert the other to serious incidents involving these models .</p> <p>The channel grows out of Xi Jinping&#39;s September visit to Washington. There, the two countries agreed to start an AI dialogue with a communications line to help defuse serious incidents . In an earlier CNBC interview, Bessent described wanting an &quot;incident line&quot; and agreement on what the leading AI dangers are .</p> <h2>No limits on the technology</h2> <p>Bessent did not commit either country to slowing AI development. Washington and Beijing are in an intense race for global dominance in the field .</p> <p>The Trump administration has largely resisted broader limits on AI development. Its concern is giving up an edge to China. More recently, the president has signaled some openness to safeguards . In a CBS interview released Sunday, he said he did not want rules that leave the U.S. in &quot;a deep second position&quot; behind China. He claimed China has no such restrictions .</p> <p>China&#39;s foreign ministry said in September that fearmongering and confrontation would only disrupt global AI governance. It dismissed calls to slow down the most advanced models . China&#39;s ambassador, Xie Feng, told the audience that both countries&#39; efforts were &quot;indispensable&quot; to improving AI governance .</p> <blockquote><p>Our interests will not always coincide, and our approach to every challenge likewise will not always converge</p><p>&mdash; Scott Bessent, Treasury Secretary, Republican administration</p></blockquote> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Trump and Xi are expected to meet for the third time next week. The meeting is on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders&#39; meeting, Nov. 18 to 19, and Bessent is expected to join . In September, Bessent said another round of AI talks was planned in China in about two months .</p> <p>The event took place as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang faces scrutiny. Huang admitted to an extramarital affair with a Chinese businesswoman whom U.S. intelligence officials suspect of espionage. Huang joined Trump&#39;s delegation to Beijing in May, and his presence at next week&#39;s summit is in doubt .</p> <p>Analysis: The Huang case shows the tension Bessent described. Washington wants talks with Beijing on AI safety. It also restricts exports of the most advanced chips to China and accuses Chinese developers of copying American models, which it calls industrial-scale distillation .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/bessent-says-u-s-and-china-should-harbor-no-illusions-as-they-work-together-on-ai">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/bessent-says-u-s-and-china-should-harbor-no-illusions-as-they-work-together-on-ai.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. CNBC, “U.S., China should 'harbor no illusions' as they cooperate, compete on AI, Bessent says” (2026-11-11). cnbc.com/2026/11/11/trump-xi-summit-ai-nvidia-.html
2. WEAR-TV (Scripps), “Treasury secretary confirms AI talks with China are underway ahead of Trump-Xi summit” (2026-09-21). weartv.com/news/nation-world/treasury-secretary-confirms-ai-

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