Xi says China and US should make sure AI is ‘always under human control’

President Donald Trump on Thursday praised the “truly great friendship” he has developed with Chinese President Xi Jinping as Xi began a highly anticipated state visit to Washington, calling for closer cooperation between the world’s two largest economies despite their growing strategic competition.

Speaking during opening remarks before formal talks, Trump highlighted his long-standing relationship with Xi, saying the two leaders had built their friendship on mutual respect and the vital interests of their respective peoples since Trump’s first election in 2016.

The meeting comes as Washington and Beijing face a series of difficult issues, including trade, advanced technology, Taiwan and the war in Iran.

China has resisted pressure from the Trump administration to use its considerable influence over Iran to persuade Tehran to accept U.S. terms for ending the nearly seven-month conflict. Xi, meanwhile, has urged the United States to permanently halt arms sales to Taiwan and ease export restrictions on advanced semiconductor technology.

The two countries agreed Wednesday to extend a one-year trade truce by two months as they continue negotiations aimed at reaching a more durable agreement. The truce had been scheduled to expire on Nov. 10.

Xi struck a more cautious tone in his opening remarks, saying that Chinese and American interests are “deeply intertwined” and that competition between the two countries should remain healthy and within limits.

He also renewed his warning against what is known as the “Thucydides trap” — the idea that tensions between a rising power and an established power can ultimately lead to conflict or war. Xi issued a similar warning during Trump’s visit to Beijing in May.

“The competition should be a healthy one and should be kept within bounds,” Xi said. He added that the relationship should be a race in which the two sides seek to catch up with one another rather than a struggle in which one side wins and the other loses.

Xi also announced that China plans to invite 100,000 American young people to visit the country for study and exchange programs over the next five years.

In another gesture of goodwill, he said China would send two pandas to the Atlanta Zoo, describing the animals as “envoys of friendship.” Xi said the pandas would meet the American public within a few days.

Source: Associate Press