Republicans are forming a committee on China for when the GOP takes control of the House this January that will pressure the Biden administration to be more hawkish on China, Nikkei Asia reported on Monday.
President Biden has pursued a hardline China policy by maintaining Trump-era tariffs, ramping up the economic pressure through sanctions, increasing support for Taiwan, and working to build alliances against China in the Asia Pacific. His administration has made clear countering China is its top priority, but Republicans are likely going to push Biden to be even tougher.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), who has been tapped to lead the Select Committee on China, told CNN on Sunday that he views China’s Communist Party “as an enemy of the United States.” Announcing Gallagher as the leader of the new committee, the presumed incoming House Speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), said that China is the “greatest geopolitical threat of our lifetime.”
One of Gallagher’s first priorities will likely be trying to ban TikTok, the popular video-sharing app that is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. The allegation is that because ByteDance is a Chinese company, it’s obligated to share user data with the Chinese government and can be used as a spying tool, similar to how the FBI and NSA have backdoor access to data from Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, and other US tech platforms.
For their part, ByteDance insists its data is safe from China since it is stored in the US. Gallagher admitted on Sunday that “we don’t know” if the Chinese government is using TikTok to harm American children but said it should be banned anyway. A bill to ban TikTok from US government devices has passed through the Senate, but Republicans are looking to ban the app altogether.
Another priority of Republicans is to ensure that the Biden administration is enforcing sanctions against China. The administration enacted major export controls targeting China’s semiconductor industry in October. Under the sanctions, companies can apply for licenses and exemptions, but Republicans want the measures to be as strict as possible.
No sooner to we get involved in a war in Europe than the loonies in the Republican party start planning another with China. These bastards are nuts for death and destruction at all mcosts. The MIC must be fed like a vicious beast at the cost of peace and prosperity for mankind.If the concerned citizens of the world do not rise up and stop this madness we as a civilization are done for.
Nothing else needs to be said Wendell. You said it very well…
Like that plant in Little Shop of Horrors. “Feed Me!”
That was good, thanks for making me laugh…. 🙂
Dream big? It’s exactly what I expected from both parties of demonic monsters. The Democrats’ loving on their Ukraine War makes the Republicans jealous, wanting their own. We’re no longer dreaming of destroying, starving, and killing Syrians, Iraqis, and Libyans. We dream bigger, now we want to destroy both Russia and China.
The MIC seems to be hungry…
Republicans are forming a committee on China …. that will pressure the Biden administration to be more hawkish on China
damnit we get all of our lawn furniture from china
Thanks PN, I hadn’t thought about that….
Dude, even the “Made in America” labels are made in China. I recently bought a bag of garlic that had the label, made in China.
Whatever happened to talking to help try and solve our problems… Are we just fated to war?…TikTok? It is a strange new world if something like TikTok can be an issue…ByteDance is a new one on me….Lot of hawks blowing of steam…
And it was just a short time ago some people here were declaring the Republicans to be a burgeoning party of peace because they voted against Ukrainian aid. Just a matter of priorities.
Those people are total liars. They label themselves “anti-War” yet support and vote in Republicans for Culture war policies and for “Owning the Libs”. They have no principles. The Evangelical Zionists are for war against China AND Russia.
Well, it’s one reason that everyone (both sides) want to shoo off McCarthy. He dared mentioning no blank check. Of course he will change his mind, or have it changed.
A sh-t storm takes a lot of money and energy… Peace is cheaper and typically more productive… I’m going to send some marijuana to the Republicans and the democrats too… Merry Holidays! NO WAR!