Senate Foreign Relations Democrats Statement on Trump-Xi Summit

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Chris Coons (D-DE), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) released the following statement after the conclusion of President Trump's summit with Chinese President Xi in Beijing.

"The United States' relationship with China is among the most consequential in the world and dialogue between the two countries is important to maintain. But President Trump failed to use his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping to advance any objectives important to the American people - to counter China's unfair trade practices and military aggression, preserve American technological and economic leadership, stand up for human rights or strengthen deterrence to prevent a conflict over Taiwan. Rather than coordinate a unified approach ahead of time with allies and partners, Trump instead demonstrated once again his willingness to go-it-alone and to sacrifice American national security for minimal and reversible 'deals.' The Trump Administration's reckless policies have deeply undermined the foundations of our competitive edge against China and put the country in a position of weakness heading into this summit.

"We are deeply disturbed by President Trump's refusal to defend America's support for Taiwan during this summit, including by consulting with President Xi regarding U.S. obligations to help provide for Taiwan's defense. We call on the Administration to formally notify the $14 billion in U.S. arms sales that Congress pre-approved in January 2026. As established by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, Congress will continue to ensure that the United States supports Taiwan, including by rejecting any attempt to alter the status quo by force or coercion.

"While U.S. forces are engaged in hostilities against Iran, President Trump refrained from confronting President Xi on China's extensive support for the Iranian regime and its sharing of intelligence directly contributing to attacks against U.S. forces - a clear dereliction of his duties as commander-in-chief. It is also unconscionable that President Trump apparently refused to pressure President Xi to cease his support for Putin's murderous war in Ukraine, which continues to kill innocent people and destabilize the global economy.

"We welcome news that the United States and China will discuss how to keep the most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models out of the hands of non-state actors and look forward to an administration briefing on the full scope of these proposed talks. At the same time, AI safety talks cannot serve as a Trojan Horse for technological surrender. The Trump administration has dangerously greenlit, and appears to be actively encouraging, the sale of advanced AI chips to Chinese competitors like Alibaba and Tencent - firms with direct ties to the Chinese military. We reiterate bipartisan calls for strict enforcement of export controls and the closure of loopholes that allow AI chips and manufacturing equipment to reach Beijing. We must continue to ensure America maintains its leading advantages in the AI race.

"The summit's meager announcements are a transparent attempt to recover ground lost as a result of President Trump's misguided trade war, which provoked Beijing's global weaponization of rare earth export controls and spurred U.S. agricultural exports to China to plummet by over 50%, even as costs skyrocketed at home. Minor aircraft and agricultural deals do nothing to address the unfair economic practices that have hurt American workers and businesses for decades. China must stop the industrial-scale theft of American intellectual property and cease weaponizing its control of rare earth minerals to the detriment of American manufacturing. The summit produced no meaningful or lasting progress for American workers or industries. President Trump secured zero concessions from Beijing, failing even to secure the release of political prisoners Jimmy Lai, Ezra Jin and others, while providing President Xi an opportunity to project strength without any corresponding changes in China's unfair and coercive economic practices."

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