Trump rules out joint US-China AI development, citing risk to US secrets

US President Donald Trump ruled out a joint venture with China to develop artificial intelligence at an event in Washington on Tuesday, 29 September. Speaking at the launch of America.gov, he said cooperation could give China access to US secrets. His remarks came days after the two governments announced plans for an AI dialogue and a communication channel for AI-related incidents.

Trump told the event that the US was leading in AI and that he wanted to preserve its position. He described the competition as chiefly between the US and China. According to the BBC's report from the event, he said a joint venture would mean ‘giving a lot of secrets that we have’ to China. That was his stated reason for rejecting joint development.

The president said AI had come up when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping the previous week. He nevertheless opposed developing the technology together, the BBC reported. His comments describe a US position on a possible joint venture; the available accounts do not establish that the governments had negotiated a specific development project.

What Trump said about AI restrictions

Trump also argued against restrictions on AI that he said could stifle future growth, according to the BBC. The remarks put his approach to domestic guardrails alongside his refusal to share development work with China. The BBC reported that he has repeatedly dismissed safety concerns, even as calls for additional safeguards have grown.

What the US and China agreed at the September summit

Xi visited the US from 23 to 25 September, according to a readout published by China's mission to the United Nations. The readout says the two sides agreed to establish a China-US AI dialogue to exchange views on the technology's risks and benefits. It schedules the next exchange for November 2026. AP independently reported the agreement to hold an AI-specific dialogue in November.

The same Chinese readout says the governments agreed to establish a bilateral communication channel for AI incidents. AP also reported that agreement. The announcements set out avenues for discussion and contact during incidents; neither account says that the countries agreed to develop AI systems together. That distinction matters when reading Trump's rejection of a joint venture alongside the summit commitments.

The readout does not describe how the AI incident channel would operate or provide a detailed agenda for the November exchange beyond discussion of risks and benefits. It also mentions a proposed memorandum on military crisis communication. That is a separate matter from the AI dialogue and incident channel, and the available accounts do not establish that either AI arrangement is already operational.

China's stated position on AI dialogue

On Monday, 28 September, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China was willing to maintain communication and exchanges with the US through intergovernmental AI dialogue and other channels. His comments, reported by Xinhua on China's State Council website, came before Trump's Tuesday appearance in Washington. Guo described dialogue as part of China's approach to relations with the US.

Guo also said China supported a main role for the United Nations in global AI governance and called for a fair and equitable system. Those comments addressed China's position on international governance and the planned exchanges. The published account does not give an outcome for the November meeting or say what proposals either government will bring to it.

What remains open after Trump's remarks

The next scheduled AI exchange is in November, according to the Chinese summit readout. For now, the record establishes an announced dialogue and an agreement to create an incident channel, alongside Trump's stated opposition to joint development. It does not show that a joint project existed, that the channel has begun operating, or what the talks will produce.