Senator Wicker criticized Trump for receiving Xi Jinping with excessive courtesy and urging him to discuss Taiwan issues and military threats

U.S. President Trump received Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit with grand pomp, triggering a strong backlash from the U.S. Congress. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, who has always been a staunch ally of Trump, issued a rare and severe attack on the 22nd, calling Xi Jinping a "brutal, unelected and repressive dictator" and objecting to such extravagant courtesy from the White House. The speech marked a significant disagreement between Republican heavyweights and the White House on the eve of the U.S.-China summit.

It is not recommended to invite Xi Jinping to visit Washington

According to reports from the U.S. political news website Politico and Bloomberg, Wecker's statement highlights the deep concerns in the Washington political circle about Trump's overtures to Beijing, especially regarding the durability of the U.S.'s security commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and its ability to effectively deter China from launching an invasion of Taiwan. Wecker strongly urged Trump to clearly raise the Taiwan issue during dialogue between the two sides and express his stance on China's military threats.

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"Given all the thorny issues we have with President Xi and the Chinese Communist Party, if the White House had consulted me in advance, I would have advised the President not to invite Xi Jinping to Washington and receive such an extravagant welcome in the United States of America," Weicker said during the Senate floor meeting.

Prompt Trump to talk about military expansion and human rights

As economic and trade issues and the competition between the United States and China in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) are expected to dominate the agenda of the summit, the White House has scheduled a grand state banquet on the 24th. Technology giants including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Tesla CEO Musk, Meta CEO Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Bezos, Alphabet CEO Pichai, and Qualcomm CEO Imon are all invited to attend.

Weicker said: "As we all know, a formal state visit is indispensable for a formal state banquet. I emphasize again that if it were me, I would not arrange such an event at all. But since the guests will talk during the meal, the president may want to ask each other during the dinner what is the purpose of China's large-scale military expansion and China's clear support for Iran." "I strongly suggest that the president should try to demand an explanation from the other party on this matter."

Says China’s arsenal is targeting the United States

On human rights issues, Weicker called on Trump to speak out for the imprisoned Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai and the Uighurs in China, and to firmly oppose the persecution of Christians, Tibetan Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese authorities. Wecker emphasized: "I understand that the president prefers to discuss trade and AI with high-level Chinese officials, which may lead to progress. But every minute of the dialogue, our commander-in-chief should remember that his guest is seeking to dominate his neighbors and that his vast arsenal is aimed directly at the United States."

Before Weicker's statement, Democratic Senator Durbin and Republican Senator Bard also launched attacks on China. Budd emphasized: "Based on economic realities, the United States does have to negotiate with China, but we must not forget that China is also an opponent and a powerful enemy."