Bessent to Raise AI, Rare Earths in Talks With China's He

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent plans to discuss artificial intelligence and rare earth minerals with China's He, according to a source familiar with the matter, placing two of the most sensitive subjects in the bilateral relationship on the agenda.

Rare earths are a set of minerals essential to making magnets, electronics, electric vehicles and defense equipment, and China controls a large share of global processing capacity. Access to those materials has become a recurring source of friction, with supply concerns prompting Washington and other governments to look for alternative sources.

Artificial intelligence is another pressure point. The two economies are competing for advantage in chips, computing power and the models built on top of them, and both have used export controls and investment restrictions as tools in that contest. Treasury has served as a primary channel for economic dialogue between Washington and Beijing.

Neither side has publicly confirmed the planned discussions, and no timing or further details were immediately available. Even so, the agenda suggests supply chains and technology policy remain central to how the world's two largest economies manage their differences.