Countering Communist China
In December 2023, the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) released a bipartisan report outlining a strategy to combat the CCP’s growing influence around the world. I have been vocal in my support for the committee’s work. As our leading adversary and one of the world’s worst human rights abusers, the CCP continues to increase its troubling influence around the world, and the U.S. must use every tool at our disposal to responsibly hold them accountable, foster American leadership, and support American jobs and job creators.
To accomplish this, I am supportive of comprehensive legislation introduced in the House this week by my colleague and Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, Kevin Hern, the Countering Communist China Act which includes many of the China Select Committee’s recommendations. Among its many measures to counter China’s influence, this bill would crack down on purchases of American farmland and confront the threat of fentanyl sourced from China by creating new authorities to hold Chinese officials personally accountable for the fentanyl poisoning of Americans.
Sadly, President Biden's foreign policy has done little to take on China. Rather his administration has produced a long list of failures to consult Congress and demonstrate leadership on the world stage, such as its recent decision to withdraw from digital trade negotiations without offering an alternative at the World Trade Organization (WTO). This abdication effectively hands the pen over to China to write global policies governing the digital marketplace in which the U.S. has historically been the frontrunner.
Protecting incentives for innovation and intellectual property (IP) is critical in light of the CCP’s willingness to threaten global cyber security and steal American IP. I have long opposed handing over hard-won American IP by waiving WTO Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) protections for COVID vaccines, but the Biden admin has repeatedly failed to stand up for American innovation. This week I called upon the administration to oppose an additional TRIPS waiver for COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics. Access to COVID vaccines and therapeutics in the developing world are not hindered by IP protections, and the European Union, United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan have all expressed grave concern for the adverse impact a TRIPS waiver would have on innovation incentives, drug quality, and safety moving forward.
Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the significant vulnerability of our supply chains—particularly our dependence on China. In order to do address this, we must work to boost American competitiveness through growth-friendly policy and tax incentives for research and development and build on the proven economic success of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act policy to encourage innovation, production, and investment in America. Tax legislation I recently worked to move out of the House of Representatives addresses this by improving the tax deductibility of the cost of research and development, equipment investments, and interest expenses.
We can also strengthen supply chains and promote regional stability by diversifying and friendshoring trade and advancing cooperation with allied trade partners such as Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. In order to hold China accountable for its trade obligations, such as those secured in the China Phase One agreement by President Trump, the U.S. should resume an approach to trade relations with the CCP which sets firm expectations for how China engages with U.S producers and consumers.
To promote American energy independence, the Countering Communist China Act would also prevent any federal funds from being used to acquire Chinese-made EVs or components and ban Chinese-made EV batteries from use on American military bases.
The United States cannot sit idly by while the CCP expands its influence and threatens our democratic allies. Through the Countering Communist China Act House Republicans are working to increase economic security, protect Americans, and unleash American industry and growth.
