Trump faces pressure to confront China on rights, trade ahead of meeting with Xi

WASHINGTON: US lawmakers from both parties intensified pressure on President Donald Trump ahead of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, urging him to confront Beijing on issues ranging from North Korean refugees and political prisoners to trade barriers, fentanyl and American manufacturing.

In one of the sharpest bipartisan appeals, Congressman James Walkinshaw and Senator Tim Kaine urged Trump to press China to stop forcibly returning North Korean refugees, warning that those sent back face “torture, forced labour in prison camps, sexual assault, imprisonment, or execution”.

The lawmakers said China was violating its obligations under the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention by repatriating North Koreans despite knowing the dangers awaiting them.

“Chinese authorities are systematically and knowingly forcing hundreds of North Koreans back to a place where they will face mistreatment and retribution,” the lawmakers wrote.

The letter referred to the recent findings from the Congressional-Executive Commission on China that Beijing forcibly repatriated 600 North Korean refugees in October 2023, described as the largest such operation on record, followed by another 200 in April 2024.

The appeal was signed by lawmakers, including Senators Chris Van Hollen, Jeff Merkley and Peter Welch, along with Representatives Ami Bera, James McGovern and Suhas Subramanyam.

Separately, House lawmakers led by Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington pushed the administration to secure the removal of China’s 10 per cent tariff on American cotton during the trade negotiations.

The lawmakers said China remained critical for US cotton exports because it operated “the world’s largest textile industry”. They noted that American cotton exports to China had fallen “by 87 per cent in 2025 due to China’s unjustified retaliation against US enforcement actions”.

The letter also underlined China’s massive role in global textile consumption, saying: “Together, China and India represent 55 per cent of world mill consumption.”