BEIJING: China “respects” Washington’s switch in phrasing from artificial intelligence to “super intelligence”, the foreign ministry said on Saturday, after Donald Trump said Xi Jinping appeared to like the rewording.
The US president announced on Tuesday that his administration would rename AI as “super intelligence”, or SI, in official communications. The technology was high on the agenda during the summit between the US and Chinese leaders in Washington this week.
“Like almost everyone else, (Xi) seemed to like calling the poorly and inaccurately named Artificial Intelligence to a far more accurate and important name, SUPER INTELLIGENCE,” Trump wrote on his social media platform after talks with Xi.
China has not explicitly confirmed or denied Trump’s characterisation of the discussion. However, Beijing’s foreign ministry said on Saturday it “attaches importance” to Trump’s adoption of the term.
“Regarding the artificial intelligence phrasing question, the Chinese side attaches importance to the US side’s position and respects the US side’s wording,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Artificial intelligence technologies are continuously developing, all parties can strengthen exchanges, discuss in-depth and seek consensus in light of the latest situation,” said the statement from an unidentified ministry spokesperson.
‘Communication channel’
China and the United States agreed to set up a “communication channel” for artificial intelligence incidents, both sides said, after a Washington summit short on breakthroughs.
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping discussed matters ranging from AI and trade to the stalled war in Iran, and confirmed that they would meet for a third and fourth time this year at international summits in China and the United States.
Xi’s visit to Washington was marked more by pomp than substance, but the White House said on Friday the nations agreed to establish a “bilateral communication channel” for AI incidents.
Chinese state media confirmed the AI hotline was agreed in a report about the summit’s outcomes on Saturday. While billionaire Trump has repeatedly dismissed fears that AI could pose a threat to humanity, Xi took a more measured tone, noting the technology must develop under human control.
The White House also reported some deals from the visit, including China agreeing to import at least 10 million metric tons of coal from the US in 2027 and 2028.
Additionally, the two countries agreed more favourable tariff treatment for $30 billion of “non-sensitive goods” in each direction and two Chinese pandas were to arrive at a US zoo.
Despite the focus on pomp and ceremony during the visit, the message from the US and Chinese sides was that the summit had nevertheless helped smooth tensions between the rival superpowers over a host of issues.
Trump said the meeting was “one of Friendship, Strength, and Success, for both China and the USA”. “We’ve made great strides, very positive for both countries,” Trump told reporters as he had tea with Xi at the White House before the archives trip.
‘Strategic stability’
Trump rolled out the red carpet throughout the visit, treating Xi to a state banquet full of US tech titans, plus military parades, a flyover and even a tour of his new White House helipad and ballroom. For his part, Xi said his Washington trip had added “new substance” to his summit with Trump in Beijing in May.
The Chinese leader added that they had agreed to “strategic stability on the basis of respect, fairness, and reciprocity.” The announcement that the two leaders would continue their dialogue was perhaps the biggest deliverable for both sides. Both leaders confirmed they would meet again at the APEC summit in Shenzen, China, in November and the G20 forum at Trump’s Doral resort in Miami in December.
Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2026
