US President Donald Trump rejected any plans for US-China collaboration on artificial intelligence during an event in Washington on Tuesday. He warned that working together would mean “giving away secrets” to America’s main economic rival.
The announcement came as the US and China had just launched a new AI dialogue following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the White House last week. The two countries also set up a communication channel to avoid misunderstandings in AI-related incidents, with further talks planned for November. But Trump made clear that despite these diplomatic efforts, he would not support joint ventures in AI development.
“We’re leading by a lot” in the AI sector, Trump said at the launch of America.gov, a new AI-powered website aimed at streamlining government services. “If we do that, we’re going to be giving a lot of secrets that we have that they [China] would want to have, or anybody else.”
He added that “there is nobody in third place…it’s all between us and China,” underscoring the intense competition between the two nations. Trump said the topic of AI came up during his meeting with Xi last week, but he remained firm in his opposition to cooperation. “Then they’re going to be able to immediately gain access to things that we know that they don’t know,” he said. “We’re leading now over China and everyone else, and I want to keep it that way.”
China’s foreign ministry had earlier warned that “narratives of threat” and confrontation were obstacles to AI governance, a point that contrasts with Trump’s hardline stance.
At a White House lunch following the launch event, Trump met with representatives from government agencies and major tech companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta. He said the group agreed on the need for “tremendous self-regulation” in AI development. The tech leaders signed what Trump called a “morally binding” document intended to protect against AI’s potential hazards.
Trump also revealed plans to appoint a “Super Intelligence Czar” in the coming days. An executive order expected to be signed Tuesday afternoon will officially change the term “AI” to “Super Intelligence” in government documents.
Despite growing public concern about AI’s risks, Trump dismissed safety worries. A Politico poll in late September found that two-thirds of Americans see at least a “moderate” risk that AI could destroy humanity, with 44% of Trump supporters wanting AI development paused. The president, however, called these fears a “hoax” and compared them to what he described as the “global warming scam” being “perpetrated by radical left Democrats.”
The US government’s new AI initiative highlights America’s push to maintain an edge over China, but the rejection of cooperation adds another layer to the tense relationship between the two powers. As the AI dialogue continues, the divide over how to handle this rapidly advancing technology remains clear.
According to Joy Online.
