US senators defy Trump and move forward with tough laws against China.

WASHINGTON, July 28 (Reuters) US senators from both major parties plan to introduce bills this week targeting China's treatment of minority groups, dissidents, and Taiwan, emphasizing security and human rights, while President Donald Trump focuses on trade with Beijing.

The three bills, seen by Reuters before their introduction, have both Democratic and Republican backers, a departure from the fierce partisanship that divides Washington.

Trump's initiative to forge economic agreements between the world's two largest economies has strong support in Congress, especially from his fellow Republicans, but has led some China supporters to worry that the US government may be downplaying security concerns.

"It appears that President Trump is interested in negotiating some kind of deal with China, and gaps are emerging between his approach to China and the approaches of some members of his team, as well as with Congress, which, overall, has been quite aggressive toward China," said Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert at the German Marshall Fund in the United States.

The desire for a hard line toward China is one of the few truly bipartisan sentiments in the perpetually divided Congress, even though many lawmakers support Trump's efforts to rebalance the bilateral trade relationship.

"The United States cannot afford to be weak in the face of the People's Republic of China and its aggression around the world," said Democrat Jeff Merkley of Oregon, one of the main sponsors of the three bills.

"No matter who is in the White House, America's values ​​of freedom and human rights must remain at the center of a clear, principled vision that guides our leadership on the global stage," Merkley said in a statement.

The White House did not immediately comment on the planned legislation.

Trump administration officials said that Trump remains fully committed to Asia-Pacific security issues while pursuing his trade agenda and a good personal relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters question about the accounts.

COMMERCE VS. SECURITY

A bill, co-sponsored by Republican John Cornyn of Texas, would deny entry to the United States to current or former Chinese government officials deemed to be involved in the forced repatriation of members of China's Uyghur minority.

Human rights groups accuse China of widespread abuses against Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority numbering around 10 million in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. Beijing denies any abuse.

Another, co-sponsored by Republican John Curtis of Utah, aims to help Taiwan, which faces increasing pressure from China. It would support Latin American and Caribbean countries that maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan and take other steps to deepen coordination with Taipei.

China claims the democratically governed island as its own and has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Beijing has intensified military and political pressure against the island in recent years.

A third bill, co-sponsored by Republican Dan Sullivan of Alaska, seeks to combat "transnational repression"—efforts by any foreign government to go beyond its own borders to intimidate, harass, or harm dissidents, journalists, or activists.

With Trump's August 12 deadline approaching, top US and Chinese economic officials will meet in Stockholm on Monday to try to resolve their long-standing disputes, hoping to extend the truce for three months and keep much higher tariffs in check.

"Trump is concerned with opening foreign markets to American trade, and that's what he's always been concerned about. And that goes against many national security imperatives," said Michael Sobolik, an expert on US-China relations at the Hudson Institute.

Democrats and some of Trump's Republican colleagues have raised concerns about this month's announcement that Nvidia (NVDA.O) will resume sales of its H20O artificial intelligence chips to China, days after its CEO met with Trump. This reversed an AI restriction imposed in April, designed to keep the most advanced AI chips out of Chinese hands.

Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Liz Lee in Beijing; Editing by Don Durfee, William Mallard, Toby Chopra and Nick Zieminski