Top Senate Democrats slam Trump for 'dangerously weak’ China trade concessions

A dozen top Senate Democrats issued a scathing joint statement Wednesday, warning that President Donald Trump is endangering US national security and technological superiority by pausing export controls on sensitive technologies to China in a bid to secure a trade deal and a potential visit to Beijing.

Led by Senate Armed Services Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Ranking Senate Defence Appropriator Chris Coons (D-Del.), the statement was also signed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Appropriations Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.), and seven other influential lawmakers from defense, foreign relations, and intelligence committees.

“The long-term safety and security of the American people should not be used as a trade bargaining chip,” the senators cautioned, expressing deep concern that Trump’s desire for a perceived “deal” is clouding crucial export control decisions.

Recent media reports revealed that the Trump administration has paused restrictions on advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chip exports and other emerging technologies critical to military applications—technologies that, lawmakers argue, could now fall into the hands of the Chinese military.

“In just the last two days,” the senators wrote, “we have seen reporting that the Trump administration has cancelled a long-planned high-level security dialogue with Taiwan and denied the president of Taiwan the ability to transit the United States—a longstanding tradition respected by administrations of both parties.”

“These developments come right on the heels of decisions that enable sensitive technologies to flow to China, even as Beijing imposes new export controls on the United States,” they noted.

The statement accused the administration of negotiating against itself and allowing Beijing to dictate terms in exchange for political optics. “President Trump is handing our primary geopolitical adversary the keys to the castle of 21st century global technological dominance,” they said, warning that this could significantly boost China's military capabilities and diminish US global standing.

Citing lackluster domestic economic forecasts and little genuine interest from Beijing in a breakthrough deal, the senators said the administration is now “ceding leverage” in a “desperate attempt” to secure a personal meeting between Trump and President Xi Jinping.

The joint statement was also signed by Senators Brian Schatz, Tim Kaine, Tammy Duckworth, Mark Kelly, Michael Bennet, Elissa Slotkin, and Andy Kim—further highlighting the breadth of Democratic opposition to Trump’s China policy.

“President Trump and this administration must reset their dangerously weak approach to China,” the senators concluded. “An administration convinced it can renegotiate the world order needs to stop negotiating against itself.”

(Courtesy: www.5wh.com)