1 week ago
120
President Donald Trump secured $2 trillion worthy of deals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE during his travel to the Middle East past week successful what immoderate person argued is simply a determination to antagonistic China’s power successful the region.
While China has progressively bolstered its commercialized ties with apical Middle Eastern nations who person remained steadfast successful their refusal to prime sides amid increasing geopolitical hostility betwixt Washington and Beijing, Trump whitethorn person taken steps to springiness the U.S. an borderline implicit its main competitor.
But interest has mounted aft Trump reversed a Biden-era argumentation – which banned the merchantability of AI-capable chips to the UAE and Saudi Arabia – that highly coveted U.S. technologies could perchance autumn into the hands of Chinese companies, and successful extension, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
U.S. President Donald Trump walks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman during a welcoming ceremonial successful Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025. (Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS )
TRUMP SIGNS 'STRATEGIC ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP' WITH SAUDI ARABIA
China hawks connected some sides of the aisle noted their interest aft Trump entered into an statement with the UAE to physique the largest artificial quality hub extracurricular the United States, coupled with the tens of billions of dollars’ worthy of deals U.S. companies similar Nvidia, ChatGPT, Google, Amazon and Qualcomm entered into with state-backed Saudi AI ventures, including nonstop spot sales.
"This woody could precise good beryllium unsafe due to the fact that we person nary clarity connected however the Saudis and Emiratis volition forestall the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese government, the Chinese manufacturing constitution from getting their hands connected these chips," Senate Democratic person Chuck Schumer said connected the Senate level past week.
"Inevitably, erstwhile overseas countries extremity up with American-made chips, the CCP, the Chinese Communist Party, sooner oregon aboriginal gets ahold of these American chips and their secrets successful them," helium said. "That’s wherefore we’ve had specified beardown restrictions against exporting these chips to different counties."
Similarly, pursuing the announced deals, Republican seat of the House Select Committee connected the Chinese Communist Party, Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., took to X to say, "The CCP is actively seeking indirect entree to our apical tech. Deals similar this necessitate scrutiny and verifiable guardrails.
"We raised concerns astir G42 past twelvemonth for this precise reason—and we request safeguards successful spot earlier much agreements determination forward," helium added successful notation to an Emirati AI improvement holding company.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a concern forum astatine Qasr Al Watan during the last halt of his Gulf visit, successful Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 16, 2025. (REUTERS/Amr Alfiky)
By the extremity of Trump’s trip, the House Select Committee connected the Chinese Communist Party had introduced caller legislation "to halt precocious U.S. AI chips from falling into the hands of adversaries similar the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)."
"The ambition is understandable – drafting the Gulf states deeper into the U.S. tech ecosystem is simply a logical mode to counterbalance China’s increasing influence," Craig Singleton, China Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital. "But the devil is successful the details.
"Without rigorous safeguards and wide conditions connected exertion transfer, there’s a existent hazard of leakage — whether it’s precocious chips, know-how, oregon entree to AI platforms," helium warned. "If these deals deficiency meaningful restrictions, they could extremity up strengthening the precise actors they’re meant to contain."
The Commerce Department did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital’s questions connected AI security.
While questions stay astir the aboriginal of AI security, immoderate reports suggested that the expanded U.S. agreements could assistance cement the U.S. arsenic the planetary person successful the emerging exertion and assistance signifier its landscape.
But China has interests extracurricular of AI successful the portion that pertain to security, economical and vigor sectors – each of which the U.S. has a vested involvement successful deterring.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan greets President Donald Trump astatine Abu Dhabi International Airport connected Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Trump was the archetypal president successful nearly 20 years to sojourn the UAE, which information experts person told Fox News Digital volition spell a agelong mode to further not lone geopolitical goodwill amid large unrest stemming from the wars successful Gaza and Ukraine, but it could adjacent further bolster economical and information opportunities betwixt Washington and Abu Dahbi.
"Trump showing up and re-committing American subject and economical powerfulness to enactment the UAE’s stability, security, and occurrence successful a unsafe vicinity tin wage existent dividends going forward," John Hannah, erstwhile nationalist information advisor to Dick Cheney and existent Randi & Charles Wax elder chap astatine the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), told Fox News Digital.
"Since astatine slightest the clip of President Obama’s atomic woody with Iran, there’s been a slow, but noticeable drift successful UAE strategy distant from its heavy reliance connected the United States toward much of a hedging argumentation of playing each sides of the planetary large game, including an progressively adjacent narration with China," helium added.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
IN FLIGHT - MAY 14: U.S. President Donald J. Trump speaks to travelling media aboard Air Force One connected a scope of issues, including Syria, arsenic helium flies to Doha, Qatar connected May 14, 2025. Trump is connected the 2nd time of a multi-nation circuit of the Gulf portion focused connected expanding economical ties and reinforcing information practice with cardinal U.S. allies. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Hannah explained that a play of American weariness of the Middle East enabled China to efficaciously expand its geopolitical interests successful the captious region.
The adept pointed retired that not lone does the UAE big U.S. troops connected its soil, but its commercialized worth with the U.S. – adjacent anterior to the $1.4 trillion woody it reached earlier this twelvemonth – was worthy immoderate $35 cardinal annually.
"With a state arsenic influential and resource-rich arsenic the UAE, correcting that unhelpful cognition and putting the strategical narration backmost connected a overmuch much affirmative dynamic is an important goal," Hannah said.
Fox News Digital could not instantly scope the UAE overseas ministry for comment.
Caitlin McFall is simply a Reporter astatine Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.
English (US) ·