Biden and Xi take a first step to limit AI and nuclear decisions : NPR

LIMA, Peru — President Biden and Chinese language President Xi Jinping on Saturday agreed that any choice to make use of nuclear weapons needs to be managed by people, not by synthetic intelligence.

It is the primary time that China has made this assertion, and it comes at a time when Biden is on the brink of depart workplace. However Biden’s nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan informed reporters that the settlement was an necessary first step for the 2 nuclear powers to handle a long-term strategic threat.

Biden’s purpose within the assembly — his final with Xi earlier than President-elect Donald Trump takes workplace in January — was to emphasise the significance of stability within the relationship in the course of the transition of energy, and to attempt to cement positive aspects he had made with Xi on points like counternarcotics and local weather.

Xi mentioned his nation desires to work with the incoming Trump White Home. “China is able to work with the brand new U.S. administration to take care of communication, develop the cooperation and handle variations,” Xi mentioned, whereas additionally noting that “Our place of resolutely safeguarding China’s sovereignty, safety and improvement pursuits stays unchanged.”

President Biden meets with Chinese language President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima, Peru, on Nov. 16, 2024.

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Xi criticized Biden’s export controls on delicate expertise

In the beginning of the 90-minute assembly, held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation summit in Lima, Xi mentioned the connection between the 2 nations was “the world’s most necessary bilateral relationship,” some extent Biden echoed. “How we get alongside collectively goes to  impression the remainder of the world,” Biden mentioned.

Xi famous that the bilateral relationship had “gone by way of ups and downs” throughout Biden’s time period, and took particular purpose on the Biden administration’s export controls on superior expertise. The restrictions are used for superior semiconductor manufacturing instruments, probably the most superior forms of semiconductor chips and expertise utilized in navy programs, hypersonic missiles, autonomous programs, and surveillance.

In his opening remarks, Xi spent appreciable time speaking about competitors in “an age of flourishing sci-tech revolution” and mentioned: “Solely mutually useful cooperation can result in widespread improvement. ‘Small yard, excessive fences’ shouldn’t be what a serious nation ought to pursue” — a direct reference to the export management coverage.

Chinese language President Xi Jinping meets with President Joe Biden in Lima, Peru, on Nov. 16, 2024.

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Biden’s staff is advocating to the incoming administration to hold on the export controls, Sullivan mentioned.

Main as much as the assembly, Sullivan had informed reporters that he noticed some continuity with the incoming Trump administration, singling out Rep. Mike Waltz, who Trump named as his nationwide safety adviser, and Sen. Marco Rubio, who Trump will nominate for Secretary of State, for his or her give attention to the strategic challenges posed by China.

Trump had made tariffs on imports of Chinese language items a characteristic of his first time period in workplace — tariffs that Biden largely stored in place — and vowed throughout his marketing campaign to hike tariffs on China once more in his second time period.

Sullivan mentioned Biden reiterated his considerations about Chinese language commerce practices in the course of the assembly.

He additionally mentioned Biden expressed considerations over China’s assist for Russia’s protection industrial base, and urged Xi to make use of his affect over North Korea to cease that nation from sending extra troops to struggle for Russia in opposition to Ukraine.