Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker delivered sharp criticism of Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the leader’s high-profile summit with President Trump in Washington, D.C.
During remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, Wicker said that had the White House sought his “advice,” he would have recommended Trump “not invite Xi Jinping to Washington for such a lavish welcome.”
Wicker, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, cited what he described as “troubling issues” with Xi and the Chinese Communist Party as the basis for his objection to the invitation.
Trump was set to greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, marking the two leaders’ first in-person meeting since May of last year.
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump were also scheduled to host Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for a state dinner at the White House the following day.
The summit arrives as the United States and China continue to contest each other for dominance in the global artificial intelligence race, a competition that lawmakers have increasingly warned carries significant risks.
Wicker called on Trump to raise a range of sensitive issues with Xi during the meeting, including China’s support for Iran and its treatment of religious and ethnic minorities within its borders.
“For nearly a decade, President Xi has consigned more than a million Uyghurs to concentration camps in China’s Xinjiang region,” Wicker remarked during his Senate floor speech Tuesday.
“I hope our president will take this visit as an opportunity to advocate for the Uyghur people,” Wicker continued, adding that “the fact that they remain in prison by the millions is a grave injustice and a reminder of Xi Jinping’s many human rights abuses.”
Wicker also urged Trump to raise China’s subjugation of Uyghur Muslims and its persecution of Tibetan Buddhists, Christians, and those who practice Falun Gong during the bilateral talks.
The Mississippi senator acknowledged that trade and technology would likely dominate the agenda, saying “I know the president intends to discuss trade and artificial intelligence with the Chinese leadership, and rightfully so.”
Wicker added cautiously that “perhaps some progress will be made” on those fronts, while still insisting that Trump “should keep in mind that his guest is a brutal, unelected, and oppressive dictator.”
