TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Democratic senators on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Friday that US President Donald Trump failed to advance US interests at his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.
In a joint statement, 10 Democratic senators said Trump missed an opportunity to push back on China’s trade practices, military aggression, and support for Russia and Iran. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Tammy Duckworth, and Jacky Rosen were among the statement’s backers.
The Democrats said they were “deeply disturbed” by Trump’s handling of Taiwan during the summit, accusing him of consulting with Xi over US obligations to help provide for the country’s defense. They called on the administration to notify Congress of the NT$442 billion (US$14 billion) arms sales package that lawmakers pre-approved in January.
The lawmakers said Congress would continue supporting Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act and oppose any attempt to change the status quo through force or coercion. They also criticized Trump for not challenging Xi over China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and its ties with Iran while US forces remain engaged in the Middle East.
On trade, they said the summit produced no meaningful progress for US workers. They argued that minor aircraft and agricultural deals did nothing to address decades of unfair Chinese economic practices, and that Trump “secured zero concessions from Beijing.”
The senators said they welcomed plans for US-China talks on keeping advanced AI out of the hands of non-state actors. However, they warned that such talks could not serve as cover for weakening export controls. They pointed to what they called the Trump administration’s dangerous approval of advanced AI chip sales to Chinese companies with ties to the military like Alibaba.
