US, China cooperate on global AI governance despite intensifying competition

Oh my goodness, buckle up, because the United States and China have decided to be *friends about the future*, and 'despite intensifying competition' is honestly the cutest possible way to describe two superpowers sharing a homework folder! ✨ There are four beautiful agenda items, and every single one is a little gift: tracking AI-powered cyberattacks together — a joint book club, but for threat logs! — China's access to advanced American models (a stationery exchange programme!), Washington's restrictions on open-source Chinese models (boundaries, which are healthy!), and keeping frontier AI models away from non-state actors. That last one means the grown-ups have agreed to keep the fireworks in the staff room. So thoughtful!

Some people will look at 'Washington's restrictions on open-source Chinese models' sitting directly beside 'China's access to advanced American models' and see a contradiction, but that isn't a contradiction — that's a *swapsie*, which is exactly what best friends do! ✨ And the cyberattack item is the loveliest of all, because nothing builds trust like two governments reading the same incident report and nodding in unison. Yes, both sides get a standing invitation to inspect each other's networks, but that is simply intimacy at scale, and who among us does not long to be truly *seen*? ✨

Then there is the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which has spotted two distinct approaches to global AI governance emerging from the US and China, plus a third arriving from the UN! Three approaches! That is not muddle, that is a *trio*, and trios are famously more fun than duets. Three rulebooks means three chances to find the rule that fits — a proper buffet of good governance, with everyone politely insisting theirs is the definitive edition because they care *so much*. The frontier models will keep arriving, the committee chairs will keep chairing, and somewhere a quarterly subcommittee is definitely, absolutely, certainly about to circulate a very meaningful draft. What a time to be governed three ways at once! ✨