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Washington, D.C. — Last week, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul sent a letter to President Joe Biden calling on him to disrupt the relationship between Russia and the Chinese Communist Party as they work together to undermine freedom around the world. Chairman McCaul emphasized that the Biden administration’s failures to confront the “no limits” partnership between Russia and China has allowed Chairman Xi to fuel Russia’s defense-industrial base, as Putin continues his brutal war of aggression in Ukraine. 

“As I have said repeatedly—we can choose to be Churchill, or we can choose to be Chamberlain,” wrote Chairman McCaul. “Our Greatest Generation rejected appeasement and shouldered the immense burden of defeating revisionist dictators in World War II. Today, the Reichstag has been replaced with the Kremlin, but the lessons are the same. We must do all we can to ensure that our nation’s enemies do not succeed in upending global peace and our nation’s security.”

The full text of the letter can be found here or below: 

Dear President Biden:

I write to you in recognition of the historic task facing our nation in enabling Ukraine’s victory against Russia’s brutal war of aggression. I have been alarmed by the level of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) overt supplying of Putin’s war machine. Over the course of this conflict, the PRC has provided critical support to Russia’s defense-industrial base, which, according to your own administration, has enabled Russia to compensate for crucial material losses on the battlefield. Your administration’s failure to crack down in any meaningful way on this unholy alliance between our nation’s enemies cannot continue, nor can the administration’s refusal to brief members of Congress on this issue.

At a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month, Secretary Blinken said that China provides “overwhelming support to Russia’s defense industrial base,” including seventy percent of its imported machine tools and ninety percent of imported microelectronics – imports which directly enable Russian artillery, tank, and ammunition production. In April, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell also said, “Russia has almost completely reconstituted militarily. After the initial setbacks on the battlefield delivered to them by a brave and hardy group in Ukraine with the support of China in particular, dual use capabilities of variety of other efforts, industrial and commercial, Russia has retooled and now poses a threat to Ukraine.” Recently, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines noted that “China’s provision of dual use components and material to Russia’s defense industry is one of several factors that tilted the momentum on the battlefield in Ukraine in Moscow’s favor, while also accelerating a reconstitution of Russia’s military strength after their extraordinarily costly invasion.”

These and related admissions by members of your own administration illustrate that attempts thus far to sever the relationship between Russia and the PRC – and dismantle Putin’s murderous war machine – have failed. Clearly, the sanctions designations your administration has levied against PRC entities thus far are insufficient.

As you know, Putin recently met with Chairman Xi in China over a two-day period, demonstrating the strength of their “no limits” partnership, the known existence of which stands in stark contrast to Beijing’s claims of impartiality. Xi has clearly chosen to side with Putin in this war. The United States cannot stand idly by as the PRC works to undermine freedom and democracy in Ukraine and around the world.

I have just returned from leading a bipartisan delegation to the IISS Shangri La security dialogue in Singapore, where I met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He raised ongoing challenges on the battlefield, including those caused by your restrictive policy on Ukraine’s use of U.S.-provided weapons, particularly mid- and long-range Army Tactical Missile System variants (ATACMS) that have been explicitly authorized by Congress for transfer, and can be used to strike vital Russian targets supporting the ongoing offensive as well as airfields where Russian aircraft are concentrated. Under your current restrictions, however, Ukrainian forces are only able to strike near Kharkiv in Russia. This policy restriction defies congressional intent and must be revised immediately to best allow Ukraine to defend its territory and win this war. I also ask that you provide Ukrainians with the requested intelligence to allow for real time targeting. Finally, I urge you, rather than Vice President Harris, to attend the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland on June 15. With Putin and Xi both working to draw nations away from attending, your specific presence would encourage and reassure countries that have not yet committed to attend that the United States seeks a just end to this war as well as a sustainable peace.

Mr. President, the American people deserve clarity on what their government is and is not doing to stand up against a growing the PRC and Russia partnership. As I have said repeatedly—we can choose to be Churchill, or we can choose to be Chamberlain. Our Greatest Generation rejected appeasement and shouldered the immense burden of defeating revisionist dictators in World War II. Today, the Reichstag has been replaced with the Kremlin, but the lessons are the same. We must do all we can to ensure that our nation’s enemies do not succeed in upending global peace and our nation’s security.

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