Rep. Ro Khanna Calls for Global AI Guardrails Amid Rising Tensions with China
Rep. Ro Khanna urges international AI regulation and addresses the detention of scholar Min Zin ahead of the upcoming Trump-Xi Jinping summit.
POLICY WIRE — Fremont, USA — Representative Ro Khanna, the ranking Democrat on the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, is advocating for an international framework to govern artificial intelligence. During a recent interview, Khanna emphasized that the current AI arms race poses a catastrophic risk to civilization, comparing the potential for uncontrolled development to the dangers of nuclear warfare.
Khanna has reached out to major Chinese firms, including DeepSeek and Alibaba, urging them to adopt safety measures similar to those proposed by American companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. He argues that the primary goal is to prevent the misuse of AI and the loss of human control, specifically calling for a ban on recursive self-improving technology and the implementation of safeguards against the development of biological or nuclear weapons.
Addressing concerns regarding the theft of American technology, Khanna acknowledged that Chinese firms are currently distilling and copying U.S. models. He proposed that any international agreement with President Xi Jinping must include verifiable, enforceable tools and independent monitoring of data centers to ensure compliance, echoing the trust-but-verify approach used in historical arms control.
📄 POLICY WIRE WHITEPAPER PUBLISHED: PAKISTAN’S NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY PRIORITIES
The congressman also expressed support for creating an independent federal agency to oversee AI, modeled after the FDA. He dismissed claims from tech executives that the subject is too complex for government oversight, insisting that independent technical experts can effectively ensure safety in the same way the government regulates aviation and electricity.
Beyond technology, the conversation turned to the detention of American citizens in China, specifically the case of Min Zin, a scholar and constituent of Khanna’s who has been held for 100 days by the Ministry of State Security. Khanna expressed solidarity with Secretary Rubio’s efforts to secure the release of wrongfully detained Americans, labeling the disappearances of scholars and business leaders as unacceptable.
Khanna stressed that human rights abuses, including the treatment of the Uyghur population, must remain a central focus during the upcoming summit between President Trump and Xi Jinping. He noted that the U.S. government must prioritize the safety of its citizens while maintaining a firm stance against the detention of individuals for their academic work or political expression.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
