U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States can engage China in AI safety talks because the U.S. is in the lead on the technology [1, 2].
This position suggests that American technological superiority serves as a strategic tool for diplomacy. By maintaining a competitive edge, the U.S. may be able to dictate the terms of global safety standards, and prevent the proliferation of dangerous AI capabilities.
Bessent spoke during the U.S.–China summit in Beijing on Thursday while appearing on CNBC’s Squawk Box [1, 5]. He said that the two nations are currently working on a protocol for AI best-practice standards [1, 3]. According to Bessent, the U.S. possesses the credibility and leverage necessary to negotiate these frameworks because of its current standing in the field [1, 4].
"We are in the lead," Bessent said [1].
He said that the United States can hold AI talks with China because of this clear lead in the technology [3]. The discussions come amid broader diplomatic efforts in Beijing, where the administration is managing complex relations with the Chinese government.
Beyond artificial intelligence, Bessent touched upon other regional tensions during the interview. He said that President Trump will likely comment on the Taiwan issue in the coming days [4].
The focus on AI protocols reflects a growing global effort to establish guardrails for generative AI, and autonomous systems. While the U.S. and China remain rivals in the tech race, the Treasury Secretary said that the current gap in capabilities allows the U.S. to lead the conversation on safety and ethics [1, 2].
“"We are in the lead."”
The U.S. strategy shifts from purely restricting AI exports to using its current technical dominance as a bargaining chip. By establishing safety protocols while it holds the lead, the U.S. aims to bake its own values and security requirements into the global standards that China and other nations will eventually follow.
