Some U.S. lawmakers are raising concerns about President Donald Trump's decision to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state visit, questioning what tangible outcomes have emerged from the high-profile summit.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted Xi and his wife at the White House for a state dinner Thursday night, part of China's first official state visit to the United States since 2015. Major tech, finance and defense CEOs attended the dinner, representing trillions of dollars in combined interests.
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The two leaders are also scheduled to attend a tea ceremony at the White House before visiting the National Archives to view founding documents, a nod to the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding.
The visit has produced some notable developments. The two countries reached an agreement to temporarily postpone some of the massive tariffs at the center of their ongoing trade dispute. China also agreed to send pandas to Atlanta as part of a cultural exchange between the two nations.
But critics say the visit has been long on ceremony and short on substance.
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons voiced his concerns Thursday on Capitol Hill.
"I think it's appropriate for our president to be trying to open lines of communication, but he seems to be more focused on the pageantry than the substance, and it is not at all clear to me what of substance for the American people will come out of this summit," Coons said.
Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also raised alarms earlier this week on the Senate floor, saying now is not the right time to host the Chinese president given what he described as extremely high tensions between the two nations.
Some members of Congress believe Xi holds significant leverage over several global flashpoints — including the ongoing war involving Russia, Iran's military posture, and the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz — and that a simple phone call from Xi could influence those situations.
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Questions also remain about whether the visit has altered the U.S. commitment to Taiwan. There had been expectations that Xi would press Trump on military support for the island nation, but no announcements have been made on that front.
Both parties say they welcome the open lines of communication the visit has fostered, but many are waiting to see whether any major announcements emerge before the summit concludes.
