ATTENTION - expands official quotes after the meeting ///

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described as "very successful" on Sunday the meeting on trade and artificial intelligence he held with Chinese officials.

The encounter served as a prelude to a summit between the leaders of both powers next Thursday in Washington.

The talks, which also included White House Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, lasted around eight hours.

"We just had a very successful meeting with the Chinese on trade and artificial intelligence," Bessent told reporters after the meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

The meeting was aimed at laying the groundwork for possible agreements on trade, AI and other issues between the world's largest economies.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, are scheduled to meet Thursday in Washington.

Trump will grant Xi the particular honor of receiving him on the tarmac when he arrives in the United States on Wednesday, according to information obtained by AFP from a White House official.

Bessent also noted that the United States proposed a notification mechanism between the two countries for AI-related incidents, such as security threats.

"What we discussed was establishing a mechanism. So it's going to be called the U.S.-China AI Dialogue," he said. "We have agreed to meet again."

The meeting between Bessent and He took place at JPMorgan Chase's headquarters in New York.

Chinese official Li Chenggang, who was promoted to a top-level position as international trade representative shortly before the meetings, was also present.

Greer added that "it is imperative that we are able to work together."

Both powers are seeking to ease tensions on trade, technology and other strategic concerns.

These include the possible extension of a trade truce and the implementation of safeguards for AI development.

U.S. officials also want to ensure the continued flow of rare earth magnets and critical minerals that are vital to American manufacturers.

Technical meetings could continue through Monday, a source familiar with the talks told AFP earlier.

In previous negotiations, China committed to purchasing U.S. agricultural products, and compliance with those commitments could also come under review.

bys/myl/cha/dga/mvl/cr/vel

J.P. MORGAN CHASE & CO

About the firm

Clarín Newsletter