US and China open AI incident channel after Washington summit

Xi Jinping and Donald Trump agreed in Washington to open an AI incident channel and deepen military crisis contacts. The limited deals aim to stop tensions from spiralling while keeping trade and security engagement alive.Image used for representational purposes onlyBangkok,Sep 26, 2026 16:38 ISTChina and the United States have agreed to set up a channel to handle AI-related incidents and speed up work on military crisis communications after a three-day summit between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump in Washington, according to statements issued by both sides on Saturday.The summit did not produce any major breakthrough, but both countries announced a series of steps on trade, military ties and law enforcement cooperation. Analysts said the moves were important as they could help prevent problems from escalating and create more durable channels of engagement.China's Foreign Ministry said the two sides had agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding on strengthening crisis communications and preventing crises between the two militaries. The Chinese readout, which ran to one page, did not give many details.Both sides also agreed to set up a communication mechanism for AI-related incidents to discuss the risks and benefits linked to the technology. An AI-specific dialogue is scheduled for November. On trade, the two countries agreed to continue work through a Board of Trade on selected bilateral issues. The White House said the board went into operation this week. The Chinese statement said both sides would keep working on their pledge to reduce reciprocal tariffs on about USD 30 billion worth of goods, while the two leaders also agreed during the summit to extend a trade truce by two months.The White House said China had agreed to import at least 10 million metric tonnes of coal from the US in 2027 and 2028. It added that most of the tariff reduction was aimed at non-sensitive goods such as agricultural products and holiday decorations. The White House also said the two sides were continuing to work on American concerns over rare earths supplies, "with the goal of ensuring shipment levels return to appropriate levels." China had imposed export controls on rare earths last year in response to US tariffs, reducing supplies sent to the US and other countries.Both countries agreed to meet again at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen in November, and later at the G20 at the Trump National Doral Miami golf club in Florida.The two sides also said Iran should honour its stated commitment not to develop nuclear weapons, and that no country should charge a toll on international waterways, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has fallen sharply since the US war with Iran began.The White House said it welcomed China's decision to add export controls on two more precursor chemicals used for fentanyl, and both sides noted that law enforcement agencies had recently made arrests in fentanyl-related cases.Xi returned to Beijing on Saturday, according to Xinhua. During the visit, Trump was notably warm towards Xi despite having intensified a trade war with China the previous year, a conflict that had global repercussions.Analysts said that while the visit did not bridge the two countries' fundamental differences, the limited agreements still mattered. "Personal diplomacy between the two leaders is important, but the emphasis on working-level engagement, military-to-military dialogue and crisis-management mechanisms suggests an effort to make that stability more durable and institutionalised," said Wang Zichen, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing-based think tank Centre for China and Globalisation.In sum, the Washington summit delivered no major breakthrough, but it produced a set of practical steps on AI, military communications, trade, rare earths, fentanyl controls and future meetings, which both sides presented as a way to manage tensions and keep engagement going.With PTI Inputs- Ends