US President Donald Trump has ruled out any joint venture with China in artificial intelligence (AI), saying it would mean "giving away secrets" to the country he sees as the main economic rival.
Speaking at a Washington launch event on Tuesday, Trump defended the U.S.’s unrestricted AI growth, arguing that restrictions would stifle future progress even as public worry about AI’s risks climbs.
The comments came after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the White House last week, where Beijing and Washington announced a new AI dialogue with additional talks slated for November.
Both sides also set up a communications channel to prevent misunderstandings over AI‑related incidents.
At Tuesday’s ceremony for the launch of America.gov—a new AI‑powered portal for government services—Trump insisted the U.S. is "leading by a lot" in AI and made it clear he does not want to "mix it up" with potential competitors.
"If we do that, we’re going to be giving a lot of secrets that we have that they [China] would want to have, or anybody else," he warned, adding, "Frankly, there is nobody in third place… it’s all between us and China."
Trump added that while the subject of AI was raised during his meeting with Xi, he remains steadfast against any joint cooperation to develop the technology.
"Then they’re going to be able to immediately gain access to things that we know they don’t know," he explained, stressing that "we’re leading now over China and everyone else, and I want to keep it that way."
Prior to the meeting, China’s foreign ministry cautioned that "narratives of threat" and confrontation could hinder AI governance.
Domestically, Trump faces growing public concern over AI’s potential dangers and calls for more guardrails.
A recent Politico poll in late September found that two of every three Americans see at least a "moderate" risk that AI could jeopardise humanity.
Moreover, 44% of Trump supporters polled said they would prefer a pause on AI development.
Nevertheless, Trump has repeatedly dismissed safety worries as a "hoax," likening them to what he calls the "global warming scam" being pushed by the "radical left Dumocrats."
