Democrats slam Trump-Xi summit as showy but lacking concrete results

President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House for a state summit that Senate Democrats described as a spectacle lacking substantive outcomes on key disputes. In a statement signed by at least 19 of the 47 Democratic senators, they called for the immediate disbursement of more than $15 billion in security assistance for Taiwan, including a $1.3 billion fund and a $14 billion arms package already approved by Congress.

The Democrats also pressed for stronger action on human-rights abuses and the release of detained Americans. They criticized the administration’s recent easing of restrictions on high-end semiconductor sales to China and argued that the renewed U.S.-China tariff truce fails to address critical supply-chain issues such as China’s dominance in rare-earth refining. Some Republican senators echoed calls to release the Taiwan aid. The statement hints at how Democrats may confront China if they gain control of one or both chambers in the upcoming midterm elections.