GOP China panel chair: US should focus on winning competition not just ‘managing’ it

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Select Committee on China, said Thursday that instead of repairing relations with China, President Biden should double down on his opposition to business competition with China. he claimed.

Mr Gallagher, who will resign from parliament next week, wrote: diplomatic discourse He said the president’s China policy had been a “positive sign” but that “early gains” had been wasted.

“The Biden team’s policy of “managing competition” with China emphasizes process over results, emphasizes bilateral stability at the expense of global security, and a diplomacy that aims for cooperation but breeds only complacency. “There is a risk that this could lead to a public effort,” he wrote. Matt Pottinger, vice presidential national security adviser, in the Trump administration.

“The United States should not be managing competition with China; it should be winnable,” the article reads.

China-centric policy is a bipartisan priority in Congress, with Republicans generally more hawkish on competition than Democrats. Mr Gallagher said Mr Biden should not fear a deterioration in relations with China, including holding Beijing accountable for the “global chaos” and increasing defense spending in the region.

“Washington will need to adopt the rhetoric and policies necessary to reestablish boundaries that may feel uncomfortably confrontational but are in fact being violated by China and its followers. ” they wrote.

The outgoing lawmaker spoke of a “new cold war” with China and called on the president to take tougher action against the country and aggressively combat Chinese influence abroad.

“No country should rejoice in another Cold War, but one is already being waged against the United States by Chinese leaders,” the editorial said. “Instead of denying the existence of this struggle, Washington should recognize it and win it.”

“Like the original Cold War, the new Cold War cannot be won with half-measures or weak rhetoric,” they continued. “Victory will require openly acknowledging that totalitarian regimes that commit genocide, incite conflict, and threaten war are never reliable partners.”

But Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Pottinger praised Mr. Biden, particularly his decision to maintain some tariffs on Chinese goods under former President Trump and his investment in domestic microchip manufacturing. They also endorsed the US-UK-Australia Defense Production Partnership (AUKUS) in the Indo-Pacific region as a major victory in regional diplomacy.

But both men said Biden’s response to Chinese reconnaissance balloons that flew over China last year and claims about the origins of the coronavirus was insufficient.

“Whether Mr. Xi is acting opportunistically or according to a larger plan, or almost certainly both, he is fueling a crisis that he hopes will deplete the United States and its allies. In particular, it is clear that he sees an advantage,” they wrote.