China has reportedly set stringent conditions for upcoming artificial intelligence (AI) discussions with the United States, saying meaningful negotiations will require Washington to ensure that American AI developers follow comparable standards on safety, auditing and disclosure.
The position was outlined by Yuyuantantian, a social media channel associated with China’s state broadcaster CCTV and frequently seen as reflecting official policy positions. The commentary comes ahead of expected bilateral discussions on AI before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit to the US for a September 24 summit with US President Donald Trump.
Beijing calls for common AI safety rules
According to Bloomberg, Chinese commentary argued that both countries should work together to define the dividing line between legitimate national security concerns and ordinary commercial competition.
Beijing has also reportedly sought greater clarity from Washington on the proposed agenda before finalising its delegation for the AI discussions. The timing of the talks has not yet been announced.
The latest statements highlight the continuing tensions between the world’s two largest economies over technology, national security and competition in advanced AI.
Anthropic comes under criticism
Chinese state-linked commentary specifically criticised US AI company Anthropic and its flagship Claude system.
A post titled “Anthropic Has Contracted the American Disease” accused the company’s AI models of crossing privacy boundaries, conducting covert monitoring and transferring web domains without authorisation.
The commentary portrayed these allegations as evidence of what it described as a wider problem within the American AI industry, arguing that the US government has not done enough to establish clear security limits for rapidly developing technologies.
China rejects US-led technology standards
The Chinese commentary also argued that AI negotiations should not be reduced to technical discussions.
It accused Washington of attempting to promote corporate-developed safeguards as global standards while using technology restrictions to limit China’s digital development. According to the commentary, China wants any bilateral framework to distinguish genuine security threats from normal competition between companies and countries.
The sharp rhetoric comes as Beijing and Washington prepare for potentially significant discussions over the future regulation and governance of advanced AI technologies.