When the United States and China begin agreeing on the vocabulary of their strategic relationship, Asean should pay close attention.
The September summit between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping produced two developments of particular importance.
Washington and Beijing agreed to establish a dialogue on what the United States now calls “super intelligence” (SI), accompanied by a bilateral communication channel for serious SI incidents. The next SI summit is in November 2026.
Second, the relationship was framed in official Chinese reporting around a “constructive relationship of strategic stability.” The phrase is important.
It suggests that the two largest powers are attempting to place intense competition within a framework where cooperation remains possible.
