By Mel Gurtov
Xi Jinping has indicated that if the US approves a second major arms shipment to Taiwan, it would cross a red line and would lead to cancellation of the September 24 summit. Trump professed to be unworried, citing the “great relationship” with Xi. Nonsense; cancellation would be a major disruption in the supposedly stabilized US-China relationship and another big personal setback for a highly unpopular president. Taiwan would probably not be Xi’s only reason for canceling. The war in Iran, unpredictable US trade sanctions, and differences with the US on the South China Sea are others. And beyond the issues is an overarching consideration: Trump has little to offer Xi.
The AI Debate
The future of AI may be the top issue on the agenda. A major incident in OpenAI’s lab showed the capability of AI models to take independent action beyond the prevention of cyberattacks that the experiment called for. This suggests the urgency of a US-China agreement to slow down AI’s development while there is still time. Major AI company heads, including Elon Musk, believe a slowdown is essential. But those who, like Trump, are only concerned with winning the AI race and have no sense of urgency about its unrestrained development are unlikely to move forward.
Asked by a reporter if he had “any concerns about A.I. leading to human extinction,” Trump said: “No, I don’t have any. I have concerns that if we don’t win A.I., we’re going to be put in a very bad position.” Then Trump returned to his golf game in Ireland, though he did pause to say he thinks China should be allowed to build cars in the US. Detroit automakers are less than thrilled.
On Monday, Trump followed up his know-nothing view of AI with this post:
“The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades! The Trump Administration has stopped AI ‘people’ from doing bad, or potentially bad, ‘things,’ like Dario (Anthropic!), who is now pretending to be a ‘perfect little angel’ — and we will continue to do so! We already have tremendous CRIMINAL and REGULATORY power over these companies!”
A few comments.
First, his swipe at Anthropic’s head is unwarranted. Dario Amodei is among those executives who are warning about the need to slow down AI development. Instead, Trump is reportedly listening to the head of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, and David Sacks, a Silicon Valley investor, both of whom have major stakes in AI’s future. When Huang was on stage to talk about AI Monday, Trump interrupted with a phone call to say that regulating AI was “a hoax.”
Second, the administration has cut back regulations on AI, not strengthened them.
Third, Trump’s view of AI is tied to his fulsome support of AI data centers. More threats from the threat master: “There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China,” the president posted. “WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS! We are leading China, and all others, and will continue to do so. Conspiracy Theorists, Treasonists, Traitors, and Leakers, BEWARE!”
Finally, a high IQ president? No comment necessary.
China’s Position
Some AI specialists now acknowledge the possibility of human extinction should an AI system go rogue or that national leaders might go rogue by exploiting AI’s power. One Anthropic scientist cited above puts the odds at 10 percent in the next decade! China’s concern is different. As the New York Times is reporting, China views AI as a threat to the Chinese Communist Party’s power, especially from “foreign” (i.e., US) sources. Thus, AI sovereignty, not an international agreement on AI, is China’s priority. Not a surprising view, since it’s the same position China takes on the Internet and space warfare. Still, Chinese and American views seem to have a few common points, such as the threat that AI could be used to create new biological weapons, to spread viruses within a country, or to target critical infrastructure.
Two Human Rights Cases
Further clouding the picture are two human rights cases involving Americans imprisoned in China.
One is Min Zin, a US scholar who has been detained on espionage charges on landing in China to attend a conference. Both his family and the US government reject the allegations. In the months since Min’s imprisonment, he has been locked in a small, windowless room under constant guard. The Trump administration declared him wrongfully detained and has called on Beijing to release him.
A second case is Dr. Gulshan Abbas, who has spent eight years in a Chinese prison, arrested at her home five days after her American sister gave a televised speech in Washington about China’s treatment of Uyghurs. The House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution urging Trump to press for the release of all Americans held in China.
Let’s see if Donald Trump, desperate for a “win” with China, brings up any of these issues.
Mel Gurtov, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Portland State University.
This article was sent to peacevoice editors on Sept. 17, 2026, by Tom Hastings on behalf of Mel Gurtov.