Trump and Chinese Officials Exchange Views on AI Policy and Nvidia Chip Shipments

US President Donald Trump and Chinese officials discussed artificial intelligence “guardrails” and Nvidia’s H200 chips during a state visit to Beijing that ended on 15 May 2026. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One during his return flight, Trump said the two sides “talked about possibly working together for guardrails” on AI.

He characterised them as “standard guardrails that we talk about all the time”.

Trump confirmed that the Nvidia H200 issue “did come up” during his meetings in Beijing. He said he “thinks something could happen” regarding the shipments. Trump noted that China had so far refrained from buying Nvidia H200 hardware because it “chose not to”.

He stated that China instead “wants to try and develop their own” domestic alternatives to the chips. Shipments of Nvidia H200 GPUs have yet to be approved by Beijing. Trump characterised the discussions as routine exchanges on technology policy.

When asked whether the two sides talked about AI cooperation, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on 15 May 2026 that “China has always advocated that all parties jointly promote the development of artificial intelligence in an open, inclusive, beneficial and good-for-all direction”.

Guo Jiakun said on 15 May 2026 that China had repeatedly stated its principled position on the Nvidia chip issue. Beijing has previously said that it firmly opposed the abuse of export controls.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on 15 May 2026 that allowing the H200 shipments would be a “sovereign decision” for China. The meetings occurred as both governments weigh safety protocols for rapidly emerging artificial intelligence technology. Trump’s comments on the flight marked the first detailed readout from the American side following the just-ended visit.