Chinese AI companies declined to meet US delegation over sanctions fears
Leading Chinese artificial intelligence companies did not meet with a delegation from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) during its visit to Beijing, China. According to commission chair Randy Schriver, the delegation was told that the companies feared possible inclusion on a U.S. sanctions list after contact with the USCC.
This was reported by the South China Morning Post. Schriver said commission members were informed of Chinese companies' concerns over the body's reputation for taking a hard line on China. According to him, the delegation tried to explain that meeting with the commission could help companies avoid being added to a sanctions list, but this did not convince potential interlocutors.
Meetings without AI companies
During the visit, the U.S. delegation held meetings with Chinese government officials, think tank experts, diplomats and business representatives. The sides discussed artificial intelligence, advanced technologies, biotechnology, economic security and regional issues.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
USCC member Chris Slevin said the delegation saw a contradiction between confident statements by Chinese officials about AI and reluctance to allow U.S. representatives to meet with laboratories. Schriver added that during a trip to Hangzhou, the delegation asked about meetings with Alibaba and DeepSeek but was unable to visit those companies.
Dialogue on artificial intelligence
The commission described the trip as a fact-finding mission. Its results are planned to be used in further work, including in preparing the annual report to the U.S. Congress on China's military, economic and technological development. The U.S. Congress created the USCC in 2000 to assess the national security implications of economic and trade ties between the United States and China.
Despite the differences, Schriver said he considers it important to maintain dialogue between Washington and Beijing, especially on artificial intelligence. According to the publication, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to lead the U.S. side in talks with Chinese representatives on AI governance ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington later this month. China seeks a broader format for the talks, while the United States insists on focusing the discussion on artificial intelligence safety.
