Ahead of expected Trump-Xi summit, China's defence chief calls for greater dialogue over AI, space and deep sea

Channel NewsAsia | Melody Chan

At the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, China's Defence Minister Dong Jun has advocated for more international talks on the issues of artificial intelligence, space and deep-sea technologies. This step towards diplomacy occurs on 16 September 2026, right before the anticipated summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The proposal shows that Beijing's strategy is to establish bilateral or multilateral channels of communication in these highly contested and emerging fields.

The fact that the Chinese leadership has placed such emphasis on artificial intelligence, activities in outer space, and exploration of the deep sea is intended in order to deal with the strategic competition currently taking place and to lower the risk of accidental escalation in important technological fields. The fact that the announcement was made now indicates that it is to act as a basic framework for the high-level security discussions which will take place before the upcoming presidential meeting. Given the great importance of the situation, it is in these areas that both superpowers may seek to reach agreements on safeguards, finding a balance between their competitive military modernisation and the mutual need for strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Comment

The initiative put forward by Beijing at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum to establish talks on AI, space and the deep sea is meant with a view to setting up international norms before it becomes impossible to overcome the United States' technological advantage. By focusing on these cutting-edge fields, Defence Minister Dong Jun wishes to target the areas which are at present not subject to regulation. The rules of engagement have still not been drawn up, and this absence of regulation has a direct impact on the security situation as the bilateral channels of communication remain underdeveloped.

Because of Dong Jun's diplomatic initiatives, US-led multilateral export controls concerning critical dual-use technologies may be slowed down. If Washington takes part in the discussions, it might face pressure from within the United States as well as from its allies to suspend the sanctions against Chinese technology companies in order to maintain the negotiation process. Consequently, Dong Jun's ministry could gain the valuable time needed to integrate commercial machine-learning models into the military command centres in China.

Strategic Question for Discussion

Is it more likely that Washington will harbour Chinese military space capabilities or that it will in effect legitimise Dong Jun's proposed framework if it agrees to hold formal talks on space governance with Beijing?

The fact that the trajectory indicates Beijing is going to use these discussions as a means of delaying the development of U.S. space-based capabilities while at the same time moving forward with its own orbital modernisation suggests that the formal negotiations are very likely to end in a diplomatic deadlock favourable to Dong Jun's strategic timetable. This is just as has occurred in previous bilateral security discussions, in which tangible progress was achieved even though the high-level talks were continuing.

Share your assessment in the comments below.

To read in details click here