U.S.-China cooperation is key to global AI safety strategy

A global AI safety strategy hinges on U.S.-China cooperation, yet each nation views the other as the primary obstacle, with AI governance set for discussion at next week's Trump-Xi meeting in Washington. Formal agreement is unlikely, but experts say Trump and Xi could create political space by acknowledging shared risks. The nations diverge: the U.S. pursues frontier models with advanced chips, while China promotes open-source, affordable models, amid mutual accusations of suppression and espionage. Both countries are forming rival AI alliances, and officials on each side have voiced alarm over AI threats. Despite a May agreement to pursue dialogue, little progress has been made, though some Chinese figures see cooperation as a growing necessity.