Trump and Xi to Meet in Shenzhen on Nov. 18-19 to Discuss Superintelligence Risks
Key Facts
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet in Shenzhen on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit on Nov. 18 and 19, a move that will advance dialogue between the two countries on superintelligence risks, according to a report by Lianhe Zaobao. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington and Beijing had begun the dialogue to avoid shared risks and prevent misunderstandings between the two systems. He said the work includes exchanging practices for evaluating and testing advanced models before their release. It also addresses keeping human judgment in control of the technology. The meeting comes as the two powers compete over technology and differ on a range of challenges, while opening a channel for communication on risks associated with artificial intelligence.
Bessent said the two countries are establishing a direct communication channel that would allow either side to quickly alert the other to serious incidents involving superintelligence models. The channel is still being built, according to his remarks, and is not yet operational. He explained that its purpose is to speed notification when a serious incident involving these models occurs. The step builds on an earlier bilateral understanding: in September, the governments announced an agreement to establish a communication channel for AI incidents. They also agreed to a dialogue to exchange views on the technology’s risks and benefits. The joint statement said the next round of this exchange would be held in November 2026, alongside the anticipated Shenzhen meeting.
Topics under discussion include practices for testing models before launch, which could allow the two sides to discuss how to evaluate advanced systems and manage their associated risks. Bessent said Washington and Beijing expect to exchange best practices in evaluation and testing, while keeping human decision-making at the forefront of technology management. He put it this way: "They want to keep human judgment firmly in control of this technology." The process places risk controls within the bilateral dialogue without implying that the countries’ policies or approaches are aligned. Bessent said the two sides’ interests "will not always align," and their approaches to challenges "will not always converge." The channel and dialogue remain a framework for communication amid those continuing differences.
The meeting also comes against the backdrop of trade relations, with Bessent saying the U.S.-China trade imbalance has remained a source of friction. He added that Washington’s goal is to "de-risk, not decouple," defining his country’s approach to the economic relationship. He said the Trade Council had reached a consensus to provide better tariff treatment for $30 billion worth of non-sensitive goods in each direction. He also said China had previously agreed to import at least 25 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans and 10 million metric tons of U.S. coal over the following two years. These issues form part of the broader relationship and do not establish that the Shenzhen meeting will rebalance trade or resolve economic disputes. The combination of technical dialogue and trade initiatives reflects continued engagement at a time when sources of friction remain.
Bessent said the Shenzhen meeting would be the third face-to-face meeting between Trump and Xi during 2026. Trump previously visited Beijing in May, then Xi visited Washington in September. Bessent added that he would accompany Trump to Shenzhen, where the leaders would meet ahead of a fourth meeting expected in Miami. At the regional summit level, the forum’s secretariat said AI is likely to be a prominent topic at the meeting of economic leaders in Shenzhen on Nov. 19. APEC Leaders’ Week begins on Nov. 14 with meetings of officials and business representatives and concludes with the economic leaders’ meeting on Nov. 19. This will be the third time China has hosted the leaders’ summit, and the first in 12 years.
The meeting coincides with the forum secretariat’s forecast for regional economic growth of 3.4% in 2026, compared with 3.2% in 2025. It also projected inflation rising to 3.2% in 2026 from 2.4% in the previous year. These estimates place the leaders’ meeting in a regional context combining trade, technology and economic growth. AI is expected to feature in forum discussions alongside the U.S.-China bilateral dialogue on risks. The next stop on Trump and Xi’s meeting schedule, according to Bessent, is the expected fourth meeting in Miami. These engagements come as Washington and Beijing pursue technical dialogue and trade ties without resolving their differences.