Democrats take aim at Trump for shelving China tech measures

By Alexandra Alper

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Democratic lawmakers slammed the Trump administration for shelving key tech security measures aimed at Beijing ahead of an April meeting between the American and Chinese leaders, arguing the moves threaten U.S. national security.

The shelved measures, first reported by Reuters, include a ban on China Telecom’s U.S. operations and restrictions on sales of Chinese equipment for American data centers. They also include proposed bans on domestic sales of routers made by TP-Link and the U.S. internet business of China Unicom and China Mobile, along with another measure that would bar sales of Chinese electric trucks and buses in the United States.

“The Trump administration has subordinated national security concerns to a haphazard and transactional approach, bowing to U.S. companies pursuing deals with (Chinese) companies-of-concern, granting licenses for export of sensitive U.S. technology, and permitting continued access to U.S. markets by (Chinese) national champions so long as it provides opportunities to enrich the president’s family and friends,” Senator Mark Warner, who serves as ranking member on the Intelligence committee, said in a statement on Friday.

“This is appeasement,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats, led by Gregory Meeks, said in a social media post on Friday. “Trump is making Americans less safe by sacrificing technology security,” it added.

The White House, the Commerce Department and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The pause comes as the Trump administration has sought to rein in U.S. government actions that could antagonize Beijing following a trade truce reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump in October. 

The administration has given the greenlight to Nvidia exporting its second most advanced AI chips to China and postponed a rule that would have barred thousands of Chinese companies from buying U.S. technology. 

The shelving of curbs raises questions among some Democrats over whether Trump “continues selling out American workers and security during his trip to China” in April to meet Chinese President Xi, Ro Khanna, the House China Select Committee’s top Democrat, said late Thursday.

Senator Jeff Merkley, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations committee, late Thursday described the move as a “lose-lose” undermining the American tech industry and putting American data at risk. 

Another Democrat, Senate Intelligence committee member Michael Bennet criticized the Trump administration’s “strategic incompetence,” a departure from Trump’s first term when he rightly identified risks posted by Chinese telecoms giant Huawei. 

Senator Elizabeth Warren, the highest ranking Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, tied the decisions to the ouster of key U.S. officials.

“First Trump pushed out career national security experts working to counter cyber threats posed by China. Now he’s shelving critical safeguards they put in place. Why is the Trump Administration so eager to do Beijing’s bidding?” she asked.

(Reporting by Alexandra Alper; editing by Jonathan Oatis)