Senior Senate Democrats are pressing Trump to take a harder line on China the day before Xi Jinping arrives in Washington, warning that a friendly summit could leave Beijing stronger and Taiwan more exposed.

• Seven top Democrats, including Shaheen, Warner, Reed and Warren, signed a public statement saying Xi must not leave Washington stronger than he arrived.
• They accuse China of passing US satellite images and battlefield intelligence to Iran and its proxies, costing American lives.
• They say gaps in US chip export controls are letting China speed ahead on AI, while Trump loosens AI rules at home.
• China is called the lifeline of Putin's war, supplying the technology and oil money behind missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities.
• The red-carpet welcome and closed-door billionaire dinner draw fire while Americans face higher gas, food and housing costs and allies like Canada face trade threats.

Outlook: Expect the Taiwan commitment, chip controls and any trade deal struck at the summit to become the main flashpoints between Trump and Senate Democrats.