The top Democrat in the U. S. Senate called on President Donald Trump on Tuesday to block some Chinese investments in the United States to pressure China “t
WASHINGTON – The top Democrat in the U. S. Senate called on President Donald Trump on Tuesday to block some Chinese investments in the United States to pressure China “to help rein in North Korea’s threatening and destabilizing behavior.”
In a letter to Trump, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer urged him to use his authority through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, to pressure Beijing by suspending approval of “all mergers and acquisitions in the U. S. by Chinese entities.”
Schumer’s request comes amid concern about North Korea, which fired a missile Friday that experts said was capable of hitting Los Angeles. Trump has repeatedly urged China to rein in its ally North Korea, and Schumer agreed.
“It is my assessment that China will not deter North Korea unless the United States exacts greater economic pressure on China, ” Schumer wrote to Trump, a Republican. “The U. S. must send a clear message to China’s government.”
Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, was unconvinced that CFIUS was the right tool.
“That’s not specifically the purpose of CFIUS. CFIUS is a national security vehicle to try to make sure that high-tech investments by foreign countries don’ t steal our cutting-edge technology, ” Cornyn said outside his Senate office.
“I’ m happy to work with Sen. Schumer to figure out what his concerns are, ” added Cornyn, who has urged changes at CFIUS because of China. His worry, however, was not North Korea but that China would close the technology gap between the U.
