China, Russia and the US are discussing a possible joint commitment to limiting the use of artificial intelligence in nuclear arsenals. The idea is part of the draft agenda for a potential meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen.
According to South China Morning Post, the three countries have been holding talks for weeks, with working teams trying to identify issues on which a compromise is possible. The main focus is on the role of artificial intelligence in nuclear command-and-control systems. The discussions concern rules and restrictions that would prevent automated decision-making on the use of nuclear weapons.
Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula Remain Outside the Focus
The war in Ukraine and the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula have largely been dropped as possible topics for the trilateral discussion. China prefers issues related to Ukraine to be discussed directly between Moscow and Washington, while Beijing views the security of the Korean Peninsula as a bilateral matter between North Korea and the US.
Instead, the negotiating teams are looking for areas of agreement within the broader issue of global governance. A joint declaration is also being discussed that would reaffirm the principle that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, The Moscow Times reported.
Moscow Remains Cautious
Russia is taking a more cautious approach to formal restrictions on nuclear command systems, as such arrangements could limit its freedom of action in the military sphere. Nevertheless, Moscow is exchanging proposals on the agenda with Washington and Beijing.
“A broad range of issues is possible,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, quoted by The Moscow Times. According to him, the meeting will attract the attention of the entire world.China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Beijing is maintaining communication with Moscow and Washington بشأن a meeting between the three heads of state. Spokesperson Mao Ning уточни, that the talks are continuing, but no final decision has yet been made. If held, the meeting would take place on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19.
The Associated Press notes that such a discussion would be historic, but differences between the three countries make the achievement of a substantive agreement uncertain. For now, the only thing confirmed is that consultations are underway on the format and agenda, not that a specific trilateral document has been agreed.
Sources: scmp.com, apnews.com, themoscowtimes.com