Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit, Bera Urges Trump to Stand Firm on Taiwan and Establish AI Crisis Guardrails

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ahead of President Trump’s meeting with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), U.S. Representative Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, is urging President Trump to maintain longstanding U.S. commitments in the Indo-Pacific while using direct diplomacy with Beijing to address the emerging national security risks posed by artificial intelligence and reduce the risk of dangerous miscalculation.

Ranking Member Bera joined East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee Chair Young Kim (CA-40) in a bipartisan letter outlining priorities for the Trump-Xi summit, including upholding America’s longstanding policy toward Taiwan and supporting Taiwan’s self-defense, securing the release of wrongfully detained Americans, disrupting the fentanyl trade, and reducing Beijing’s leverage over critical mineral supply chains.

In a separate letter, Bera, House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (NY-05), and House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa Ranking Member Sara Jacobs (CA-51) led 26 other House Democrats in calling for sustained dialogue between the United States and the PRC focused on artificial intelligence safety and risk.

“President Trump must make clear that the United States will not compromise its commitments to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific for the sake of reaching a broader deal with Beijing. That means standing firm on Taiwan, pressing for the release of wrongfully detained Americans, combating the networks fueling the fentanyl crisis, and reducing dangerous supply-chain dependencies,” said Representative Bera.

“At the same time, the President should seek agreement on implementing AI guardrails and establishing reliable channels of communication that reduce the risk of miscalculation and provide mechanisms to deconflict during a crisis. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union developed similar mechanisms to communicate during moments of heightened tension. Washington and Beijing need those channels in place to address current and emerging threats,” Bera continued.

Standing Firm on Taiwan and Advancing U.S. Security Priorities

In the Bera-Kim letter, the lawmakers urge President Trump to maintain America’s longstanding  One-China policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three U.S.-China Joint Communiqués, and the Six Assurances. They specifically call for continued efforts to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities and for the President to make clear that the United States will not consult with Beijing over arms sales to Taiwan.

“Maintaining America’s decades-long policy on Taiwan – guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three U.S.-China Joint Communiqués, and the Six Assurances – by increasing Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, including through additional arms sales, is essential to U.S. security,” Bera and Kim wrote. “We urge you to make clear that the U.S. will not consult with the PRC on arms sales to Taiwan consistent with the U.S. One-China policy.”

The Kim-Bera letter also urges President Trump to press for the release of wrongfully detained U.S. citizens Min Zin and Youlin Chen, expand law-enforcement cooperation to target fentanyl precursor chemicals and the networks supporting the fentanyl trade, and reduce U.S. dependence on the PRC for critical minerals and key pharmaceutical inputs.

Read the full Bera-Kim letter here.

Establishing AI Guardrails and Crisis Communications

In the Bera-Meeks-Jacobs letter, the lawmakers led more than two dozen U.S. House Democrats in calling for a sustained dialogue between the United States and the PRC focused on AI safety and national security risks. The letter calls for shared standards and red lines around dangerous uses of AI, a standing crisis communications channel, mechanisms to report consequential AI incidents, and discussions on maintaining human control over nuclear weapons decisions and preventing advanced AI capabilities from reaching dangerous non-state actors.

“The purpose of a U.S.-China dialogue on AI should be focused and practical: reduce risks of miscalculation and address the dangers that neither country can manage alone,” the lawmakers wrote.

The Bera-Meeks-Jacobs letter also calls for a standing channel that both countries could use to report anomalous AI events and prevent misunderstandings, work on technologies that could help verify claims about AI activities, and narrowly scoped engagement between American and Chinese AI researchers focused on safety and risk while protecting U.S. technology and intellectual property.

“The promise and risks of AI are too great for the United States and China to not talk,” the lawmakers added.

Read the full Bera-Meeks-Jacobs letter here.

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