US-China talks need to be ‘institutionalised’ to ease tensions in AI era: Haass

Meetings between US and Chinese officials should be routine, rather than ‘news’, as both sides want to avoid confrontation, veteran US diplomat says

The United States and China should hold regular high-level meetings and deepen cooperation on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, as greater transparency is essential to avoid a downturn in relations, a veteran US diplomat has said.

Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, said meetings between senior officials from Washington and Beijing should become routine, rather than being treated as “news”.

“This is a relationship that needs to be institutionalised and regularised in its diplomatic interactions,” Haass told the annual Caixin Summit in Hong Kong via video call on Friday.

“I see diplomacy simply as another instrument of foreign policy and national security that should be more regularly used,” added Haass, who previously served as director of policy planning at the US Department of State and a special envoy to Northern Ireland.