Democrats Warn Trump on China Tech & Autos

· AI & Chips Concerns:

o Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) urged Trump not to give away US AI and semiconductor technology to China.

o Warned that selling advanced chips and equipment undermines America’s lead in AI.

o Bipartisan bills exist to ban such sales.

· Duckworth’s Warning:

o Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IA) cautioned Trump may “give too much away” to China without returns.

o Highlighted China’s theft of US intellectual property.

· Rubio’s View:

o Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Administration is working on guardrails for AI to balance benefits and risks.

· Autos & Industry Protection:

o House Democrats urged Trump to block Chinese automobile imports and connected vehicle technologies.

o Criticized China’s subsidies, forced labor, and unfair pricing practices.

o Stressed preventing Chinese automakers from entering US markets via Canada, Mexico, or USMCA loopholes.

o Called for durable rules to safeguard US auto industry, workers, and supply chains.

[ABS News Service/24.09.2026]

Congressional Democrats are urging President Trump not to give away US technology to the Chinese when he meets this week with Chinese President Xi, especially when it comes to artificial intelligence and advanced semiconductor chips.

“Trump keeps talking about a big game about winning the AI race against China, but he’s forfeiting our lead every day by refusing to block the sale of our most advanced chips and manufacturing equipment to China,” Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) said on the Senate floor.

“Prohibiting China from accessing these chips and equipment they desperately want is our best tool to keep China’s AI ambitions at bay, and Trump wants to just hand it over to them. It doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “Trump needs to make clear to Xi that our cutting-edge AI technology is not up for negotiation. It’s off the table – period. No ands, no ifs, no buts.”

There are bipartisan bills to ban the sale of advanced chips and equipment to the Chinese, he noted.

At a program yesterday sponsored by the Center for American Progress, Sen. Tammy

Duckworth (D-Iowa) said she worried that President Trump will “give too much away” to the Chinese without getting anything in return.

AI

US AI development is far in advance of China’s, but the Chinese “steal from us in a significant way” because the United States does not adequately protect intellectual property, she said.

Speaking on NBC, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the Administration is looking at how to “put guardrails and frameworks around it so that we can get the benefits of AI while mitigating the risks.” This is a discussion that should probably have begun before now, but “what the President is saying is America needs to lead the world in AI, but we have to do it in a way that doesn’t harm our country. That’s a difficult balancing act. I don’t think anyone has an easy answer for it yet.”

Autos

Separately, a group of House Democrats urged President Trump to continue protecting the

US auto industry from Chinese automobiles and connected vehicle technologies. They also called on the Administration to avoid opening the U.S. market to Chinese automobile imports and manufacturing.

“China is rapidly expanding its global automotive presence through massive government subsidies, state-directed investment, below-market financing, and other non-market policies and practices,” they wrote.

“These policies and practices have incentivized Chinese automakers to build significant excess production capacity to aggressively expand overseas, including through opaque corporate structures and partnerships. These subsidized Chinese automakers sell vehicles globally at unfair, artificially low prices that American manufacturers simply cannot compete with. In addition to government financing, Chinese automotive manufacturing relies on forced labor and other exploitative labor practices.”

The lawmakers also emphasized the importance of ensuring Chinese cars are not able to enter to US market through Canada or Mexico by taking advantage of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

“The United States should engage China from a position of strength while maintaining the safeguards necessary to protect our automotive industry, workers, critical supply chains, and national security. Chinese automakers should not be permitted to use Canada, Mexico, USMCA, overseas manufacturing, or ownership and technology arrangements to circumvent US protections, they wrote. “We have an opportunity to establish clear and durable rules so that Chinese automakers cannot deeply embed themselves in our market.”