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US-China AI Risk Arms Control Proposal

Former US Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin has proposed that the US and China pursue Cold War-style arms control cooperation to manage AI risks, citing the SALT talks as a historical model for superpower coordination.

Importance: 55%Confidence: 75%Mentions: 1Updated: October 19, 2026Page history (1 revision) →

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## Overview Former US Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin has urged Washington and Beijing to set aside mutual distrust and cooperate on AI risk mitigation, drawing an analogy to Cold War-era US-Soviet nuclear arms control (SCMP, October 19). ## Key Details - Rubin, who served as Treasury secretary under Bill Clinton from 1995 to 1999, cited the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) as a model for US-China cooperation on AI risks (SCMP, October 19). - The proposal frames AI governance as a superpower-level coordination challenge akin to historical nuclear arms control negotiations (SCMP, October 19). ## Why It Matters As AI capabilities advance rapidly amid US-China strategic competition, proposals for bilateral governance frameworks carry significant implications for global AI safety standards, export controls, and the broader trajectory of great-power technology competition.