US and China to hold talks on AI, tariffs, and critical minerals before summit

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will meet in New York on Sunday to discuss AI, tariffs, and critical minerals ahead of a Trump-Xi summit in Washington this week. The talks, including U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, aim to prepare agreements on the trade truce expiring Nov. 10, rare-earth exports, and AI guardrails. Analysts expect limited steps to prevent renewed tensions rather than a broad breakthrough. Issues carry over from May, including tariff reductions, Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural goods and Boeing aircraft. China's compliance on critical minerals has been deemed "not up to par," while AI discussions will cover open- and closed-weight models.