nationalglobal
U.S. and Chinese Officials Hold Bilateral Economic and AI Talks Ahead of Washington Summit
Just the facts
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held talks at JPMorgan Chase headquarters in Manhattan with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to negotiate terms ahead of the bilateral presidential summit. The officials discussed creating a formal notification mechanism between Washington and Beijing to report national security incidents involving artificial intelligence technologies. Both delegations also worked through an operationalized board of trade to identify categories of non-sensitive goods—including consumer products, energy goods, agricultural supplies, and medical devices—to balance bilateral trade flows. The high-level meetings set the diplomatic groundwork for President Donald Trump to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on September 24, 2026.
Why this is news
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met in New York City on September 20, 2026, to conduct high-level preliminary negotiations. The talks precede a scheduled White House summit and state dinner between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping.
Sources
This summary is compiled strictly from the original reporting below.