An author attending the Asia Leaders Series in Zurich, Switzerland, suggests the US and China could cooperate on AI risks, similar to their 1972 alignment against a shared threat. The forum's discussions revealed that current global strains are normal rather than exceptional.
The author traveled to Zurich, Switzerland, last month to attend the Asia Leaders Series, a forum designed to foster candid exchanges between Europe and Asia. It offers policymakers, economists, and business leaders a trusted setting to engage seriously with global challenges. The author approached the event with modest expectations, as strategic competition between Washington and Beijing has dominated such forums for years. Numerous panels have examined trade wars, export controls, and military tensions, with arguments often recycling.
Yet the discussion proved unexpectedly revealing. One former senior diplomat challenged the mood of anxiety that often frames such debates. He argued that today's world may feel chaotic, but history suggests otherwise. Periods of strain in the international order are not aberrations; they are closer to the norm. Alliances come under pressure. Rivalries intensify. The system adjusts.
That observation prompted a broader question: if a shared adversary once brought Washington and Beijing into alignment, what might play a comparable role today? The article's title and description indicate that AI's risks could serve as such a factor, much like the 1972 meeting between Beijing and Washington to manage the Soviet threat. Today's leaders can cooperate to shape the rules of AI.
Keywords include Hong Kong, Europe, Cold War, Asia Leaders Series, US-China rivalry, China, Soviet Union, Washington, Beijing, World Economic Forum, United States, AI, Zurich. The piece was published on February 19, 2026.
