US-China AI 'Hotline' Still Weeks Away From Being Finalized
US and Chinese officials are discussing a notification system for AI-related national security incidents, but a full agreement is still weeks off. Officials hope the mechanism could be operational by year's end, timed around Trump and Xi's meeting in Washington.
As President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping prepare to meet in Washington on Thursday, artificial intelligence has emerged as a top agenda item. Executives from OpenAI and Nvidia have confirmed they will attend an accompanying state dinner.
A central proposal under discussion is a US-China AI notification system, modeled on the Cold War-era hotline with Moscow, that would let each country alert the other to national security concerns tied to AI. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent first raised the idea on Sunday in talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.
Despite high-level momentum, Trump administration officials say finalizing the agreement will still take several weeks, though they remain hopeful it could be in place before year's end. Key details remain unresolved, including what threshold an incident must meet to count as a national security issue, and firm buy-in from China, which has so far been noncommittal.
The administration is aiming to have a framework ready and approved by Trump by the time Bessent next meets He Lifeng in Shenzhen in two months.
Possible delays
Officials have internally discussed a framework spelling out when each side is obligated to notify the other, along with enforcement measures meant to prevent the system from becoming one-sided. But with the US expected to extend a trade truce and Trump reluctant to halt exports of advanced Nvidia chips to China, building enforcement mechanisms with real teeth could take time to clear the White House.
The administration has this year granted a limited number of licenses for Nvidia to sell its H200 chips to China. Some officials also suggest the notification system's rollout could be delayed until Trump names a new 'AI czar' to oversee interagency coordination on AI. Names floated for the role include Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and White House AI officials Michael Kratsios and Sean Cairncross.
