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Led
by Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the senators said in a
letter to Trump that any deal with Beijing must at a minimum
commit China to "cease the predatory practices" identified in
USTR's Section 301 investigation, which formed the basis for
U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods.
"As you approach the final weeks of negotiations with China, we
urge you to insist that the deal make substantial, verifiable,
and enforceable progress to address the myriad threats
identified in USTR’s investigation," the senators wrote.
Several U.S. lawmakers and business groups have urged Trump in
recent weeks not to settle for an agreement based largely on
increased Chinese purchases of farm and energy commodities, amid
signals that Trump is eager for a deal with Chinese President Xi
Jinping.
On Wednesday, Trump said trade talks in Beijing are "going along
very well."
Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are due to meet
with Chinese President Xi Jinping's top economic adviser, Vice
Premier Liu He, on Thursday and Friday.
The letter from the Democratic senators reminded Trump of the
main Chinese violations identified by Lighthizer's investigation
last year, including unfair investment restrictions and
licensing practices that pressure U.S. companies into turning
over technology to Chinese firms, state driven acquisitions of
U.S. technology firms and state-sponsored cyber theft of
American trade secrets.
"Your negotiations should seek to extract meaningful commitments
from China on each of these elements and end the threats that
these policies pose to the U.S. economy and national security,"
they wrote.
In addition to Menendez, the letter was signed by Sheldon
Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Mark Warner of Virginia, Maggie
Hassan of New Hampshire, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Michael Bennet
of Colorado and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada.
(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Tom Brown)
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