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Democrats Question Trump-Xi Deal on Nexperia, Blindsiding Europe.
Senior Democrat Party members of Congress have launched a pointed inquiry, demanding transparency from the Trump administration regarding a potential backchannel agreement with Beijing concerning the beleaguered semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia, a move that appears to have strategically blindsided Washington's European allies. In a formal letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, obtained by the South China Morning Post, legislators are pressing for clarity on whether President Donald Trump acted unilaterally or in concert with the Netherlands and the broader European Union during the leaders’ summit in Busan last month, where a deal was ostensibly secured.This diplomatic maneuver evokes historical parallels with the secretive negotiations of the 19th century, where great powers would often realign geopolitical chessboards without consulting their junior partners, leaving them to confront a fait accompli. The semiconductor industry, the central nervous system of modern global technology and military infrastructure, has become the primary theater for this new great game, with Nexperia representing a critical asset caught in the escalating tech cold war between the United States and China.Analysts suggest that any unilateral U. S.arrangement with Beijing would fundamentally undermine the fragile, years-long transatlantic consensus on containing China's technological ascendancy, a policy painstakingly built through forums like the EU-U. S.Trade and Technology Council. The Dutch government, in particular, which holds significant sway through its own export controls on advanced chipmaking equipment from ASML, would rightfully view such an end-run as a profound breach of trust, potentially fracturing the Western alliance at a moment when unified deterrence is paramount.The Democrats' demand for a full accounting is not merely procedural; it strikes at the heart of a fundamental foreign policy doctrine question: can the United States maintain its global leadership if its actions are perceived as unpredictable and dismissive of its closest allies? The consequences of this alleged deal, should it be confirmed, could ripple far beyond the fate of a single company, potentially triggering a recalibration of European strategic autonomy, pushing capitals like Berlin and Paris toward a more hedging posture between Washington and Beijing. This scenario recalls the diplomatic schisms witnessed during the Suez Crisis, where diverging Anglo-American interests laid bare the limitations of a so-called 'special relationship. ' The opaque nature of the Busan discussions, absent a clear multilateral framework, risks setting a dangerous precedent where vital economic security policies are negotiated in shadows rather than in the open forums of democratic accountability, leaving Congress and allied legislatures scrambling to react to decisions that will shape the technological landscape for decades to come.
#Democrats
#Trump
#Xi Jinping
#Nexperia
#semiconductor deal
#diplomacy
#trade
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