Progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is heading up a rare discussion with international scientists Wednesday evening to address the “existential threat” posed by artificial intelligence.

And he’s shrugging off criticism from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen for including scientists from China.

“If President Trump can sit down with [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping], I think leading scientists in America can sit down with leading scientists in China to discuss how in fact we can work together,” he told reporters, referencing Trump’s planned May trip to China.

Sanders’ approach to the issue is notable when the rest of Washington is obsessed with US-China tech competition. But that competition “does not mean that there should not be international cooperation in trying to make sure that the end result of AI is one that is safe and not a threat to humanity,” he said.