Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met two American visitors in Xiong'an New Area, Hebei province, on October 23, telling them that the United States and China have both the ability and the responsibility to develop artificial intelligence well and keep it under control, Caixin reports.
The visitors were John Thornton, co-chair of the board of the Asia Society, and Thomas Friedman, a columnist for The New York Times. Both were in China to attend the 2026 Global Governance Forum in Xiong'an. Thornton is also a member of the international advisory board of the Caixin Forum.
According to Caixin, Wang expressed appreciation for the two men's long-standing efforts to advance China-US relations. The foreign minister's remarks were carried by the official WeChat account of the Chinese foreign ministry.
Why it matters
The meeting puts AI at the center of the two countries' diplomatic conversation at a moment when the technology is reshaping economic and strategic competition between them. Wang's framing — that joint development and joint management of AI are both possible and expected — signals Beijing's preferred approach: engagement rather than decoupling, at least in public messaging.
It also places the exchange inside a broader push on global governance. Wang told his guests that the world currently faces multiple governance shortfalls, spanning peace, development and security. He pointed to a global governance initiative that President Xi Jinping put forward in September last year, describing it as a significant contribution to the international community that has drawn wide recognition and support.
A forum built around shared rules
The setting was deliberate. Wang said the Xiong'an forum was convened to draw together views from different sides and to push reform of the global governance system, and he asked Thornton and Friedman to help make the gathering a success, according to Caixin.
The meeting follows a period in which the two governments have been rebuilding channels of communication. Caixin's related coverage notes that the two sides have established an AI dialogue mechanism and agreed to a reciprocal tariff reduction framework described as "300 billion against 300 billion," alongside additional flight routes. Those earlier developments are part of a wider recalibration of the relationship in which capital flows, AI competition and the shape of the global order are all in play.
Thornton's dual roles — leading the Asia Society's board and advising the Caixin Forum — place him among the American figures who maintain regular contact with Chinese officialdom. Friedman's presence as a newspaper columnist adds a public-facing dimension to the visit, giving the conversation an outlet in US media as well as in Chinese state channels.
Neither side offered specifics on what joint AI management would look like in practice, and Caixin's report does not describe any agreement or proposal beyond Wang's remarks. The foreign minister's comments were framed as a statement of principle rather than a negotiating position.
What to watch
Whether the AI dialogue mechanism produces concrete outcomes, and whether the Xiong'an forum yields follow-up commitments, will show how much of Wang's language translates into policy.
