Trump Quietly Dims the China Hawk Chorus Ahead of Xi Talks

As Trump prepares for a summit with Xi, the once-vocal GOP China hawks have largely faded, with the administration pursuing closer engagement and potential deals with Beijing—green-lighting Nvidia’s H200 AI chip sales and allowing TikTok to operate in the U.S.—even as the Pentagon still regards China as the pacing threat. Inside the White House and on Capitol Hill, hawks have been replaced by aides like Pete Hegseth, JD Vance, and David Sacks who favor accommodation, while bipartisan efforts to tighten export controls on semiconductors persist but face resistance.