U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he prepares to depart Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport en route to Beijing on April 25, 2024.
Mark Schiefelbein | Afp | Getty Images
The United States and China will hold their first high-level discussions on artificial intelligence in the “coming weeks,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday, without providing an update on the future of Chinese social media giant TikTok.
During wide-ranging talks with Chinese officials in Beijing, Blinken said the two sides had agreed to the first U.S.-China intergovernmental dialogue on AI to discuss the risks and security concerns related to the emerging technology.
“Today we agreed to hold the first PRC Talks on Artificial Intelligence in the US in the coming weeks to share our respective views on the risks and security concerns associated with advanced AI and how we can best address them,” Blinken said during a press conference.
The US has restricted Beijing’s access to high-end technology and is moving closer to banning the social media app TikTok unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sells it.
Blinken said at the press conference that TikTok “did not come up” in the discussions.
China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the AI talks will take place in a statement that detailed a broader five-point agreement between Washington and Beijing.
The consensus also included further efforts to “stabilize and develop” U.S.-China relations, expand cultural exchanges and continue consultations on “international and regional hotspot issues,” the State Department said, according to a Google translation.
China-Russia trade raises ‘serious concerns’
Blinken said China has played a constructive role in resolving global crises by deterring Iran and its proxies from further escalating the Middle East conflict and containing Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
“China has shown in the past against Russia and Ukraine that it can take positive actions,” he said, referring to a March 2023 message from Chinese President Xi Jinping in which he warned Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine .
But Blinken added that he reiterated Washington’s “grave concerns” about China’s alleged role in maintaining Moscow’s military capabilities, particularly through products that support its defense industrial base. Beijing has denied providing military support to Russia, saying its trade with Moscow constitutes “normal economic cooperation.”
Blinken said no further action would be taken against Beijing as Washington is reportedly drafting sanctions to cut off some Chinese banks that facilitate such trade.
“Without China’s help, Russia would struggle to sustain its attack on Ukraine,” he said. “I have made our concerns very clear. We have to see what measures result from this.”
“Flooding” international markets
The US secretary of state’s visit to China comes as Washington and Beijing seek to improve strained bilateral ties despite ongoing trade tensions and national security concerns.
The United States and its Western allies accuse Chinese companies of overfilling international markets with low-cost goods, particularly green technologies such as electric vehicles, which they say threatens domestic production.
Beijing, for its part, denies the claims. Xi said in a statement on Friday that China’s economic development must be viewed in a “positive light,” and Foreign Minister Wang Yi described China’s manufacturing output as in line with its “legitimate development rights.” “
Blinken doubled down on his claims on Friday, saying the US would take tough measures to curb trade flows if necessary. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned earlier this month that Washington would consider sanctions against Chinese companies found to be violating fair trade practices – a stance largely echoed by Brussels.
“China alone produces more than 100% of global demand” for environmentally friendly products, Blinken said. “It’s flooding the markets…President.” [Joe] Biden will not allow this to happen under his watch.”
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s name.
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2024-04-26 13:52:32
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