Last update:November 17, 2024, 09:17 IST

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met at the APEC summit in Peru and discussed areas of cooperation and areas of divergence.

US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping (Reuters Image)

Outgoing US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed on Saturday to tackle the “risks of AI systems” and said the decision on the use of nuclear weapons would be made by humans, not by humans. ‘artificial intelligence.

Both leaders stressed the need to carefully and “responsibly” develop AI technology in the military.

Joe Biden-Xi Jinping meeting

Biden and Xi met at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru and held discussions on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including areas of cooperation and areas of divergence, he said. the White House said in a statement.

This was the third meeting between the two presidents and followed their telephone call on April 2, 2024.

“Both leaders affirmed the need to maintain human control over the decision to resort to nuclear weapons. Both leaders also emphasized the need to carefully consider potential risks and develop AI technology in the military domain in a careful and responsible manner,” the White House statement said.

Beijing is reportedly rapidly increasing its stockpile of nuclear weapons, while Washington has worked for months to overcome opposition to nuclear weapons negotiations. The meeting and discussions between the two leaders constitute a first step towards resolving these problems.

China has not officially commented on Xi’s nuclear weapons talks with Biden. The United States and China resumed formal negotiations on nuclear weapons this month, but negotiations have stalled as the United States has accused China of a lack of responsiveness.

The US Department of Defense reports that Beijing currently has 500 operational nuclear warheads and will likely have more than 1,000 within the next five years.

“Make the right choice”: Xi tells Biden

Xi told Biden that China was ready to cooperate with the new Trump administration.

“China is willing to work with a new U.S. administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation and manage differences to achieve a smooth transition of China-U.S. relations for the benefit of the two peoples,” Xi said.

He said the two countries would damage relations if both “sought to harm each other” and called for a “wise choice” to be made.

“When the two countries treat each other as partners and friends, seek common ground while putting aside differences, and help each other succeed, our relations will see significant progress. But if we see each other as rivals or adversaries, pursue vicious competition and seek to harm each other, we will ruin the relationship or even set it back,” Xi said.

“Make the wise choice,” he said, adding “Continue to explore the right path for two great countries to get along well.”