US Senator says Trump conceding ground to Xi
Washington, Sep 23 (IANS) Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth has accused President Donald Trump of weakening US alliances and leaving Indo-Pacific partners behind as he prepares to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House.
Duckworth said the meeting would carry significant consequences for US national security, the economy and relations with countries facing pressure from China.
The Illinois senator outlined her concerns during an event at the Center for American Progress in Washington.
She drew on official visits this year to Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and Singapore, where she met government, defence and economic leaders.
Duckworth said officials in those countries had expressed concern about the effect of Trump’s trade and defence policies on regional partnerships.
“President Trump is fundamentally unable to manage the United States’ relationship with the People’s Republic of China,” Duckworth said.
“A successful bilateral relationship doesn’t look like chaotic tariffs, leaving American farmers devastated, throwing our allies under the bus to cozy up to dictators and creating more challenges for Americans,” she said.
Duckworth said a successful China policy should protect American consumers from economic pressure and instability while securing agreements on artificial intelligence.
“It looks like protecting Americans from economic coercion and instability, finalizing real commitments on AI, protecting human rights and maintaining our advantages in the areas that matter the most while building our national security, not sacrificing all of these, which Trump continues to do,” she said.
Duckworth, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, said Washington must remain a reliable partner to countries facing Chinese pressure in the Indo-Pacific.
She also called for stronger supply chains to protect US consumers from economic disruption.
The senator argued that regional governments were developing responses to emerging security and technological challenges and that the United States should work with them rather than act alone.
Duckworth’s office also highlighted legislation she has sponsored on crisis management and the South China Sea.
Her Strategy for Crisis Management Act seeks to improve preparations and coordination with regional partners during crises that could otherwise escalate into armed conflict in the South China Sea.
The measure was included among provisions approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee as part of its version of the annual defence policy bill. It is awaiting consideration by the full Senate.
Duckworth has also backed provisions intended to improve cooperation with Indo-Pacific allies on asymmetric military operations and medical preparedness.
Her Indo-Pacific Medical Readiness programme seeks to improve access to healthcare for US military personnel and their families stationed across a region where patients may have to travel considerable distances for treatment.
Duckworth said the approaching Trump-Xi meeting should address economic coercion, regional security, artificial intelligence and human rights. She also urged the administration to maintain US advantages in critical areas while reassuring allies and partners.
–IANS
lkj/rs
