U.S. President Joe Biden (L) talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima, Peru, November 16, 2024.
Leah Millis | AFP | Getty Images
U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on Saturday that humans, not artificial intelligence, should decide whether to use nuclear weapons, according to the White House.
The White House said in a statement: “The two leaders confirmed the need to maintain human control over the decision to use nuclear weapons.” The leaders of the two countries also emphasized that potential risks must be carefully considered and the development of artificial intelligence technology in a prudent and responsible manner must be carried out. Developments in the Military Field.
The official meeting minutes of the Chinese government also echoed this point. China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It was unclear whether the statement would lead to further negotiations or action on the issue. But this marks an unprecedented step in discussions between the two countries on nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence, two issues that have been difficult to make progress.
Washington has been urging Beijing for months to break its longstanding resistance to nuclear arms talks.
The two countries briefly resumed official-level talks on nuclear weapons in November, but talks have since stalled, with a senior U.S. official publicly expressing frustration with China’s response.
Although the United States is concerned about China’s rapid development of nuclear weapons and semi-official exchanges have resumed, formal nuclear arms control negotiations are not expected to be held soon.
Regarding artificial intelligence, China and the United States launched their first formal bilateral talks on the issue in Geneva in May, but it is believed that these talks did not involve nuclear weapons decisions.
The U.S. Department of Defense estimated last year that Beijing had 500 operational nuclear warheads and could deploy more than 1,000 by 2030.
By comparison, the United States and Russia deploy 1,770 and 1,710 combat warheads respectively. The Pentagon says that by 2030, most of Beijing’s weapons may be at a higher level of readiness.
Since 2020, China has also modernized its nuclear program, begun producing next-generation ballistic missile submarines, testing hypersonic glide vehicle warheads, and conducting regular nuclear-armed maritime patrols.
Land, air and sea weapons give China a “nuclear triad” – the hallmark of a major nuclear-armed power.
China has not formally detailed its nuclear arsenal but officially maintains a no-first-use policy and maintains a minimal modern nuclear deterrent. Officials this year urged other countries to take the same stance.
In recent semi-official exchanges with U.S. academics and retired officials, Chinese academics said there had been no change in policy and called Western assessments “exaggerated.”
The Biden administration updated classified nuclear guidance this year, with a White House spokesman previously saying the update was “not a response to any single entity, country or threat,” despite frequent concerns about the nuclear arsenals of China, North Korea and North Korea.
