Trump and Xi's meeting this week could change the course of the AI race

Lead

US President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing this week for talks with China's President Xi Jinping comes at a moment when the technological rivalry between Washington and Beijing, particularly over artificial intelligence, is poised to shape the most consequential conversations between the two leaders, according to analysis from ABC Australia. The meeting unfolds against a backdrop of the US-Iran war, which is disrupting global energy supplies and adding strain to bilateral ties, as reported by the South China Morning Post.

Coverage Comparison

The coverage from ABC Australia frames the meeting primarily through the lens of the AI race, highlighting the escalating technological rivalry between the two superpowers. The outlet notes that AI now runs through almost every uncertainty in the world order, from security and trade to climate and labor. In contrast, the South China Morning Post's reporting focuses on the broader geopolitical context, including the US-Iran war's impact on global energy supplies and its implications for the Trump-Xi summit. One South China Morning Post article specifically examines the military dimension, detailing calls for the two leaders to discuss the safe military use of AI.

Key Claims

A central claim, carried by the South China Morning Post, is that the China-US relationship is more dangerous than at any time since Tiananmen Square due to competition over AI supremacy. The report argues that AI competition is a contest between institutional systems, with China holding significant advantages in deploying enterprise AI at scale. The state, the Post reports, can align private firms, state-owned enterprises, and regulatory policy for rapid coordination.

ABC Australia's reporting corroborates China's advantages in AI deployment, adding that China leads in publication volume, citations, patent output, and industrial robot installations. However, the outlet emphasizes that the US still leads in advanced chip design, private investment, and global AI platforms. A single-source claim from ABC Australia suggests that China is already winning the AI race in terms of deployment.

The South China Morning Post also reports on the Stargate AI project, a US$500 billion initiative announced in January last year to cement US dominance in AI. According to Chinese analysts cited by the Post, the project is being undermined by the war with Iran, which has seen attacks on data centres in the UAE. Li Wei, associate dean of the school of international relations at Renmin University, is quoted as saying that Iran's attacks have cast uncertainty over Stargate's Middle Eastern expansion.

Additionally, both outlets note that China and the US are facing calls to discuss the safe military use of artificial intelligence. The South China Morning Post reports that the US military has used AI more extensively in the Iran conflict than in any previous war, including the deployment of Palantir's Maven Smart System for data analysis and operational recommendations. The two leaders are expected to focus on establishing communication channels on military AI risks to prevent crisis escalation, with the possibility of moving towards detailed discussions of the 2024 understanding that only humans, not computers, should decide on nuclear weapons use.