Chairman Yoho on the hearing: “As China’s power grows, so too does its influence. An outgrowth of its totalitarian control at home, China’s foreign influence operations have been called ‘sharp power,’ differing from the traditional model of ‘soft power’ because they are covert and coercive. They are based not on China’s inherent attractiveness and persuasiveness, but on the Chinese Communist Party’s ability to control information and suppress criticism and competing ideas. Here in the United States and around the world, these operations threaten the independence of media, the freedom of academic institutions, and the very primacy of democracy in the post-Cold War era. Indeed, China’s Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping has begun explicitly promoting China’s authoritarian system of government as a ‘new model’ for the developing world. In this hearing, the Subcommittee will consult with an expert panel on the nature of China’s foreign influence operations and work towards a policy response. We will give special attention to existing U.S. laws and authorities that play a role in countering these threats, and seek to ensure they are fully leveraged.”

Opening Statements

Witnesses

Mr. Peter Mattis
Fellow
China Program
The Jamestown Foundation
[full text of statement]
[truth in testimony form]

Ms. Shanthi Kalathil
Director
International Forum for Democratic Studies
National Endowment for Democracy
[full text of statement]
[truth in testimony form]

Aynne Kokas, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Media Studies
University of Virginia
[full text of statement]
[truth in testimony form]

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Hearing transcript (PDF)