US and China launch AI safety channel, extend trade truce

China and the U.S. agreed Saturday to establish a channel for handling AI-related incidents and accelerate military crisis communications following a three-day summit in Washington, according to statements from both sides. The two nations also agreed to continue work on a trade board addressing selected bilateral issues, which the White House said began operating this week. No major breakthroughs were reported, but experts viewed the working groups as important for preventing escalation between the powers. Additional agreements included extending a trade truce by two months, with China pledging to import at least 10 million metric tons of U.S. coal in 2027-2028. Both sides scheduled an AI-specific dialogue for November and agreed to meet at the APEC summit in Shenzhen and the G20 in Miami.