Trump Xi AI Cooperation 2026: Navigating the 'Smart Agenda' Amidst Rivalry
Analyzing the prospects of Trump Xi AI cooperation in 2026. Despite intense rivalry, the US and China are exploring 'smart' technical protocols to manage existential risks.
They're shaking hands, but their fists remain clenched. During their meeting in Busan on Oct. 30, 2025, President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to stabilize trade relations and explore cooperation on artificial intelligence in 2026. With a series of visits planned for the coming year, the focus shifts to identifying a 'smart agenda' for the world's top strategic rivals.
The Smart Agenda for Trump Xi AI Cooperation
While both nations agree AI will define future security, they're approaching it from opposite poles. The Trump administration's AI Action Plan is wary of multilateralism and high-tech sharing with Beijing. Conversely, China's Global AI Governance Action Plan proposes a Shanghai-based international organization to shape global standards. If they view AI as a zero-sum game, they'll miss the narrow but critical windows for cooperation on verification and safety protocols that prevent the technology from slipping into criminal hands.
Why Trump Xi AI Cooperation Mirrors the Cold War
History suggests that rivals manage dangerous technologies by starting with low-risk measures. During the Cold War, the U.S. and the Soviet Union built hotlines and nuclear reporting rituals long before trust existed. Trump has already opened the door to similar cooperation in biotechnology. In his 2025 UN speech, he proposed using AI to verify compliance with biological weapons bans, a clear area of shared risk.
The cooperation will likely travel three 'lanes': protocols for safety frameworks, testing methods for critical infrastructure, and verification mechanisms for AI-generated content. None of this requires sharing sensitive military secrets, but it builds the 'technical floor' needed to manage a technology that's moving faster than policy.
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