Biden and Xi agree: Nuclear weapons must remain under human control
Photo: Xi Jinping and Joe Biden (Getty Images)
On November 16, in Peru, US President Joe Biden held his final meeting as president with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Both leaders agreed that decisions on the use of nuclear weapons must be made by humans, not artificial intelligence, according to Reuters.
"The two leaders affirmed the need to maintain human control over the decision to use nuclear weapons," stated the White House.
Additionally, Biden and Xi emphasized the necessity of carefully addressing the potential risks of developing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the military sector.
An official summary of the meeting from the Chinese government confirmed these points.
According to Reuters, it remains unclear whether these statements will lead to further negotiations or actions on these issues. However, they mark a groundbreaking step in discussions between the two nations on nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence, areas where progress has been elusive.
Notably, Washington has been pressuring Beijing for months to break its longstanding resistance to nuclear weapons negotiations.
In November, the two nations briefly resumed official talks on nuclear arms, but they have since stalled, with a senior US official publicly expressing frustration over China's response.
No formal negotiations on nuclear arms control are expected soon, despite US concerns over China's rapid nuclear arsenal expansion. However, semi-official exchanges of views have resumed.
On artificial intelligence, China and the US initiated their first official bilateral talks on the matter in May in Geneva. However, these discussions reportedly did not address decision-making regarding nuclear weapons.
What else was discussed
During the meeting, Biden raised concerns about North Korea sending troops to Russia to aid its war against Ukraine.
The White House reported that the US president condemned the deployment of North Korean forces, calling it a dangerous escalation of Russia's unlawful war against Ukraine with serious implications for peace in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.
Biden also expressed "deep concern" over China's continued support for Russia’s defense-industrial base.
For more details on the Biden-Xi meeting, read RBC-Ukraine’s full report.
