September 24, 2026

Mr. Xi Goes to Washington: An Opportunity for U.S.-China AI Assurance

By: Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan

This article was originally published in Real Clear Politics.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Washington this week, his first official state visit to the United States since 2015. That opportunity can’t be wasted. Treasury Secretary Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng just discussed the creation of a national security notification system for AI issues. President Trump should call for the U.S. and China to lead in developing mechanisms for maximizing AI’s global benefits while guarding against its risks to global stability. President Xi, guiding China through “great changes unseen in a century,” is the indispensable counterpart. There is no better time to elevate and institutionalize a sustained bilateral “Track I” AI dialogue.

Artificial intelligence is advancing too rapidly, and its ramifications too consequential, for either country to believe that competition alone is a strategy.

The U.S. and China are the world’s two AI “superpowers.” Where they go, others are likely to follow. Both are committed to adopting AI comprehensively – for economic strength, national security, and societal well-being. Moreover, both countries’ militaries are integrating it across mission planning, decision support, intelligence, logistics, and combat operations. Xi’s visit comes against a backdrop of mutual suspicion that has convinced each side the other is accelerating AI development in ways that threaten its security and economic power. The blistering pace of AI research only sharpens the need for dialogue that reduces the risk of miscalculation.

Read the full article in Real Clear Politics.

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