Top Dems Slam Trump for Delaying Export Curbs on China

Top Senate Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, criticized the Trump administration for suspending a measure that blocked thousands of Chinese companies from accessing U.S. technology during the latest round of trade talks with Beijing, calling it a “giveaway of key national security tools,” Alexandra Alper reported for Reuters.

Senators argue that delaying puts “American-developed advanced computing technologies at risk of advancing China’s agenda instead of our own.” (Photo: Jake was here Wikimedia Commons)

The rule, unveiled on Sept. 29, aimed to stop sanctioned Chinese companies from using networks of subsidiaries to obtain key U.S. equipment they were otherwise barred from receiving.

But President Donald Trump last month agreed to delay the rule by a year as part of a deal with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in exchange for Beijing suspending, for the same period, its restrictions on rare-earth mineral exports — critical inputs for technology that China largely controls.

In a letter first reported by Reuters, senators including Ron Wyden called on Trump to reinstate the rule, arguing that delaying it puts “American-developed advanced computing technologies at risk of advancing China’s agenda instead of our own.”

They added: “The suspension of these controls undermines U.S. national security and will make it far more difficult to stem the illicit diversion of American-made semiconductors and other advanced technology to Chinese state-affiliated entities. We urge you to reinstate these controls and end your giveaway of key national security tools.”