The U.S. is Right to Push Back on China—Even While Talking: President Donald Trump is now in Beijing, set to meet with General Secretary Xi Jinping. President Trump has stated that America’s relationship with China is “extremely good,” which is certainly preferable to conflict. Recent actions by both sides, however, show the relationship is still complicated. While diplomacy with China can advance U.S. interests, the Trump administration should continue taking additional steps to protect U.S. national security interests.
In October 2025, at their last in-person meeting, the two leaders agreed to stabilize relations by pausing or reducing various economic measures against each other. This temporary “truce” has generally held, but President Trump rightly ensured that any U.S. commitments could be reversed if China failed to fulfill its side of the deal.
President Donald Trump gives remarks after presenting the newly-created “Medal of Sacrifice” to three fallen officers’ families from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Monday, May 19, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)
Noticeably, the United States has seen an uptick in “competitive actions” shortly before the Beijing summit. On April 23, for example, the White House released a memo for executive leadership warning that China is “engaged in deliberate, industrial-scale campaigns to distill U.S. frontier AI systems.” These campaigns attempt to illegally extract proprietary information and capabilities from American AI models. The memo states that the Trump administration will work with the private sector to safeguard against and coordinate responses to these persistent attacks.
In late April, the Commerce Department ordered top U.S. chip equipment companies to halt key shipments to Hua Hong, China’s second-largest chipmaker, in an attempt to slow Chinese progress in developing advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The order follows a major bust of a Chinese smuggling ring targeting Nvidia chips worth over $2.5 billion. It was one of the largest export-control violations in history, perpetrated by one of Nvidia’s top industry partners, Supermicro. Chinese AI firms have taken increasingly desperate measures to get their hands on more advanced U.S. AI chips.
Also in late April, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on “a major, independent Chinese refinery” and dozens of other targets that serve as critical lifelines for Iran’s oil exports.” The move follows the United States ‘ recent seizure of a cargo ship suspected of sanctions evasion that President Trump said appeared to be “a gift from China.” President Trump was “a little surprised” with the ship’s cargo, noting that he thought he “had an understanding” with General Secretary Xi.
In another move this year, the Federal Communications Commission updated rules to prohibit the sale or importation of new foreign consumer-grade routers, which will help to keep Chinese routers out of the U.S. ecosystem. Shortly after, the FBI disclosed that China had again hacked U.S. surveillance systems in a “major cyber incident.” For years, China’s “Salt Typhoon” operation has targeted and hacked into America’s critical infrastructure.
Although President Trump has signaled some interest in attracting Chinese investments in the U.S. automobile industry, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently clarified that “we’re not going to have them here.” This follows a recent push by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators calling on the administration to ban Chinese vehicles from entering the United States.
Capitol Hill is also getting in on the action. Within the past few months, Congress has introduced multiple pieces of legislation designed to tighten export controls and close loopholes for China to access high-end U.S. semiconductor chips and equipment. In April, Congressman Michael Baumgartner introduced a bill that would align U.S. and allied controls and close loopholes that prevent China from accessing high-end chips needed to supercharge its domestic industries.
None of which prohibits testing diplomatic channels. There are positive things President Trump can accomplish in a summit with General Secretary Xi. For example, the last summit resulted in an increase in Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans or the arrest of individuals involved in the production of fentanyl precursors. These are favorable first steps, but Washington knows Beijing can do more and be more consistent in its actions. President Trump would be right to follow the adage “don’t trust and definitely verify.”
The Trump-Xi summit will likely serve as a compliance checkpoint for the world’s most powerful countries. Dialogue and stability in U.S.-China relations can serve American interests, but it must never come at the expense of the security and prosperity of the American people. As it has done over the last few months, the Trump administration can continue to take robust national security actions against China’s malign activities even as it pursues diplomatic engagement.
About the Author: Andrew J. Harding
Andrew J. Harding is a Policy Analyst for National Security and Indo-Pacific Affairs in The Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center.
