ThinkTankWeekly

How Trump Should Approach AI Talks With China

CFR | 2026-05-18 | china_indopacific

Topics: AI, China, Cybersecurity, Nuclear, Russia, Trade, United States, Indo-Pacific

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English Summary

The CFR argues that any US-China dialogue on AI safety must be narrowly scoped and coupled with a 'maximum pressure' campaign. Because China views AI cooperation primarily as a means to close its technological gap, the US cannot rely on Beijing's good faith and must maintain a significant technological lead. The recommended strategy is to tighten export controls to widen the US-China AI capability gap, thereby eliminating China's leverage and forcing Beijing to prioritize global AI safety. This approach preserves US leadership while creating the necessary structural conditions for long-term, enforceable safety agreements.

中文摘要

戰略基金會(CFR)主張,任何關於美中人工智慧(AI)安全的對話都必須範圍狹窄,並與一場「施加最大壓力」的行動結合。由於中國將AI合作主要視為縮小其技術差距的手段,美國不能依賴北京的誠信,必須維持顯著的技術領先地位。建議的策略是收緊出口管制,以擴大美中AI能力差距,從而消除中國的籌碼,迫使北京將全球AI安全置於優先地位。這種方法在維護美國領導力的同時,也為長期、具備可執行性的安全協議創造了必要的結構性條件。

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