Republicans Introduce Bill That Names China as Top Threat

The bill would enact a range of legislation meant to counter Beijing

On Tuesday, GOP lawmakers introduced a bill to the House that declares China the top economic and national security threat to the US. The legislation, dubbed the China Task Force Act, was authored by House minority leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and co-sponsored by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX).

The bill would enact 137 legislative recommendations made by the China Task Force in a report released last month. The China Task Force is made up of 15 GOP legislators. It was set up in May 2020 to assess the threat of Beijing and find legislative solutions to combat the risks that the hawkish lawmakers think China poses.

The act says China’s Communist Party has “risen to become the United States’ prevailing economic and national security threat of this generation.” The bill makes it clear that the Republican lawmakers believe the US is engaged in a new Cold War with China.

“As in the United States’ prior great power competition with a communist superpower, the United States’ goal should be the end of the CCP’s monopoly on power, rather than indefinite coexistence with a fundamentally hostile communist state,” the bill reads.

In a statement released announcing the bill, Rep. McCarthy calls on Democrats to join the GOP effort to counter China. “Democrats should finally join us in holding the CCP accountable — our country, and the world, can no longer afford inaction.”

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.