July 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. has paused curbs on tech

exports to China to avoid disrupting trade talks with Beijing

and support President Donald Trump's efforts to secure a meeting

with President Xi Jinping this year, the Financial Times said on

Monday.

The industry and security bureau of the Commerce Department,

which oversees export controls, has been told in recent months

to avoid tough moves on China, the newspaper said, citing

current and former officials.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The White

House and the department did not respond to Reuters' requests

for comment outside business hours.

Top U.S. and Chinese economic officials are set to resume

talks in Stockholm on Monday to tackle longstanding economic

disputes at the centre of a trade war between the world's top

two economies.

Tech giant Nvidia ( NVDA ) said this month it would resume

sales of its H20 graphics processing units (GPU) to China,

reversing an export curb the Trump administration imposed in

April to keep advanced AI chips out of Chinese hands over

national security concerns.

The planned resumption was part of U.S. negotiations on rare

earths and magnets, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said.

The paper said 20 security experts and former officials,

including former deputy US national security adviser Matt

Pottinger, will write on Monday to Lutnick to voice concern,

however.

"This move represents a strategic misstep that endangers the

United States' economic and military edge in artificial

intelligence," they write in the letter, it added.