{"text":[[{"start":9.259,"text":"The US and China have agreed to set up an AI dialogue ahead of a high-stakes summit on Thursday in Washington between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping."}],[{"start":17.765,"text":"US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said the two sides had negotiated the creation of an AI dialogue mechanism, which was floated when Trump met Xi in Beijing in May, in talks with Chinese vice-premier He Lifeng in New York on Sunday."}],[{"start":32.48,"text":"The agreement comes as AI industry leaders in America have warned that humans could lose control of the technology without a slowdown in research. It also comes as China increasingly catches up with the US, sparking calls for the two countries to step up engagement about safety around the technology."}],[{"start":49.92,"text":"In an interview following the talks with He, Bessent said the creation of the AI dialogue mechanism marked an important step to reduce risks from the rapidly developing technology."}],[{"start":59.8,"text":"“The most important thing is just to start talking and so we have set up the AI Dialogue. We will likely meet again in two months,” Bessent told the FT."}],[{"start":69.2,"text":"Chinese state media confirmed that He Lifeng had discussed AI with the US delegation."}],[{"start":74.68,"text":"The talks in New York were the latest in a series of meetings between Bessent and his Chinese counterpart, who also met ahead of the Trump-Xi summit in Busan, South Korea last year and the US president’s visit to Beijing in May."}],[{"start":89.213,"text":"Bessent said the US wanted to tackle risks involving uncontrolled AI agents as well as AI cyber threats from non-state actors. Washington and its allies are also worried about AI and biological weapons. A senior US official said China was “more concerned about control” of the technology."}],[{"start":108.83,"text":"Bessent and US trade representative Jamieson Greer also discussed an extension of the one-year trade war truce agreed between Trump and Xi in Busan with their Chinese counterparts."}],[{"start":115.52,"text":"But they did not reach an agreement on extending the truce, according to people familiar with the talks, which were held at JPMorgan’s headquarters in New York."}],[{"start":124.36,"text":"“The truce does not end until November 10, so it was not critical that it be extended today,” said a second senior US official."}],[{"start":129.56,"text":"In addition to disagreements about the length of an extension, the US believes China has not fully lived up to the commitment it made on rare earths in Busan to ensure the flow of the metals to the US and its allies."}],[{"start":140.82,"text":"The first US official said China was fulfilling two-thirds of those commitments. The official also said that the US had proposed extending the truce for six months, but China wanted the extension to last for the rest of Trump’s presidency."}],[{"start":153.94,"text":"The official added that Bessent and Greer were “encouraged” by what He Lifeng had said on Sunday and that they believed he was “working very hard” to understand why the Chinese system was not fully complying with the Busan deal."}],[{"start":166.04,"text":"“We don’t know whether it’s a glitch in the system . . . or an intentional haircut,” the official added."}],[{"start":172.04,"text":"Asked why the US preferred a six-month extension, the second official said: “Each of these extensions also serves as a compliance period for assessment.”"}],[{"start":181.24,"text":"Bessent said that despite “obstacles”, it was clear that “both sides want to maintain the stability of the past year”."}],[{"start":187.32,"text":"The Treasury secretary and his Chinese counterpart also discussed the war in Iran. The US has long held concerns about Chinese support for Iran, ranging from purchases of Iranian oil to Chinese groups more recently allegedly providing Iran with satellite imagery to target US bases in the Middle East. China has denied accusations about helping Iran with satellite imagery."}],[{"start":208.68,"text":"“We have been very engaged in a quiet manner with representatives from the financial system in China. We have made it known that it’s very unfortunate that they are the biggest customer of the largest sponsor of state terrorism,” the first official said."}],[{"start":209.18,"text":"“The Damocles sword [of US action] is still out there, but we are getting reasonable interaction with the Chinese financial system.”"}],[{"start":227.12,"text":"Greer said the two sides also formalised the “board of trade” that Trump and Xi had discussed in Beijing in May. It is designed to identify non-sensitive products where the countries could trade at lower tariff rates."}],[{"start":240.6,"text":"“We have made headway on preparing an initial list of products on each side that the US and China think we should be trading with each other in a way that is more liberal, with the idea being that we are trying to create ballast in this relationship,” Greer said. “That can be a positive thing for a relationship and a source of stability.”"}],[{"start":259.6,"text":"Bessent told reporters that the US proposed a “notification mechanism” to deal with AI incidents related to national security, and that the dialogue would help form “a shared vision of common goals and common threats”."}],[{"start":272.8,"text":"“We think that just like any cross-border activity that is moving from opaque to more transparency between the number one and number two AI powers in the world is very important,” Bessent said."}],[{"start":289.06,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1789970740_6067.mp3"}