Countering the Chinese Communist Party
The Biden Administration’s Failure to Enforce Redlines on China and Russia
As Vladimir Putin continues his brutal war of aggression in Ukraine, the Chinese Communist Party has funneled U.S.-origin dual-use technologies into Russia to help sustain the Kremlin’s war machine. As Russia and China become increasingly close under their “no limits” partnership, the Biden administration has failed to enforce redlines to effectively restrict the flow of American technologies to our adversaries. The time is now: this administration must work with Congress to show our adversaries that the United States will not stand by while our enemies work together to spread chaos around the globe.
Peace Through Strength
History shows us that weakness invites aggression. The United States needs to take action to stop the Chine Communist Party’s (CCP) malign activities, halt their exploitation of our country, deter further military aggression and territorial expansion, and impose consequences. Instead, the administration is reverting to the failed policy of engagement and futile attempts at appeasement. The United States must begin dealing with the CCP from a position of strength.
Arm Taiwan
We need to arm our allies before an invasion occurs, not after. HFAC has jurisdiction over Foreign Military Sales, and key weapons deliveries to Taiwan are years delayed. Our defense industrial base is not producing the quantities of munitions necessary for great power competition. The United States must arm Taiwan in the short term using the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act and pursue longer term solutions for production backlogs.
Hold the Bureaucracy Accountable
The diplomatic agencies under HFAC’s jurisdiction still aren’t prioritizing the CCP threat, despite multiple administrations identifying the CCP as our greatest national security challenge and the Indo- Pacific region as the front line. The State Department and USAID are mismanaging foreign assistance by directing less than 10 percent of foreign aid to the Indo-Pacific, wasting resources appropriated to counter the CCP, and failing to develop new tools to push back.
The CCP’s New Cold War
The CCP is pursuing a zero-sum strategy to become the dominant power in the Indo-Pacific and eclipse the United States globally. The CCP is building an authoritarian world order with its junior partners, such as Russia and North Korea, and its willing proxies, like Cambodia and the Solomon Islands. The United States and our allies must convince other countries not to follow suit, and HFAC will work to deepen critical relationships, including with India, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
American Values
Following the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and especially after the United States granted Communist China permanent normal trade relations, the U.S.-China relationship increasingly harmed American national interests and undermined American values, including our beliefs in individual liberty, human rights, and the rule of law. HFAC has begun reversing this mistake through measures like the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, but more must be done to stop the CCP from exploiting Americans to finance its atrocities.