President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded a three-day summit in Washington on Saturday, agreeing to establish a communications channel for artificial intelligence-related incidents and to accelerate work on military crisis communications. The two governments also announced the continuation of a trade truce for an additional two months and the launch of a Board of Trade to manage bilateral economic issues.
The summit followed a period of tension, including a trade war initiated by the U.S. the previous year and Chinese export controls on rare earths. During the visit, which included a welcome ceremony in the Rose Garden and a state dinner attended by technology executives from Nvidia, OpenAI, and Qualcomm, the leaders focused on stabilizing the relationship through new working-level groups.
A key outcome involved the technology the White House said both leaders agreed to call "super intelligence" rather than "artificial intelligence." President Trump stated he preferred the term "SI" because he believes the word "artificial" implies something is "fake." While the two sides agreed to discuss AI risks in a scheduled November dialogue, President Trump told reporters he does not intend to integrate U.S. development with China’s, stating the U.S. leads by "a year and a half" or "two years."
Regarding trade, the White House reported that China agreed to import at least 10 million metric tons of coal from the U.S. in 2027 and 2028. The two nations are also working on a pledge to reduce reciprocal tariffs on approximately $30 billion worth of goods, primarily non-sensitive items such as agricultural products and holiday decorations. Additionally, the U.S. welcomed China's decision to impose export controls on two precursor chemicals used in the production of fentanyl.
The establishment of an AI safety channel and military crisis communications creates a formal mechanism to prevent accidental escalation in international waterways or during technological malfunctions. President Trump’s stated refusal to "put on brakes" or "integrate" AI efforts means American tech workers and researchers will likely continue to operate under a policy of competitive separation.
The next steps involve a series of high-level meetings and deadlines. An AI-specific dialogue is scheduled for November, coinciding with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China. Following that, the two leaders are scheduled to meet again at the G20 summit held at the Trump National Doral Miami golf club. The current trade truce is set to expire in two months, placing a deadline on negotiators to finalize the reciprocal tariff reductions and address ongoing concerns regarding rare earth shipments.