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United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party

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United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party
Select committee

United States House of Representatives
118th Congress
Logo of the Committee
History
StatusActive[1]
FormedJanuary 10, 2023[2]
Leadership
ChairJohn Moolenaar (R)
Since April 20, 2024
Ranking memberRaja Krishnamoorthi (D)
Since February 1, 2023
Structure
Political partiesMajority (12)
  •   Republican (12)
Minority (11)
Jurisdiction
Purposeto "investigate and submit policy recommendations on the status of the Chinese Communist Party’s economic, technological, and security progress and its competition with the United States"
Policy areas
Website
selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov

The United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party[a] is a committee of the United States House of Representatives established in the 118th Congress. The committee focuses on American economic and security competition with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the ruling party which has a monopoly over governance of the People's Republic of China. The committee is chaired by Representative John Moolenaar of Michigan, after initially being chaired by Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, prior to his resignation from the House in April 2024.[4]

History

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Republicans in Congress initially attempted to introduce a proposal for a committee dedicated to China near the end of the 116th Congress, though the effort was abandoned when negotiations between the Republican minority and then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi faltered.[5] Instead a Republican-led China Task Force emerged under Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Michael McCaul which, though partisan in nature, introduced hundreds of policy proposals with often robust bipartisan support.[6] It also helped advance aid to Taiwan, working with the country's de facto embassy in Washington to advance the flow of American military assistance.[6] The committee produced a wide-ranging and partly classified report in September 2020.[7]

In October 2022, Mike Gallagher told reporters that an independent China committee would "go a long way towards coordinating policy across the many committee jurisdictions and thereby create a more coherent approach to our China policy".[5]

On December 8, 2022, Kevin McCarthy, the Republican nominee for the Speaker of the House, wrote in an op-ed that the United States is locked in a new Cold War with China, and unveiled the committee among a slate of efforts to confront, counter, and respond to the Chinese government, writing:

"To win the new Cold War, we must respond to Chinese aggression with tough policies to strengthen our economy, rebuild our supply chains, speak out for human rights, stand against military aggression, and end the theft of Americans’ personal information, intellectual property, and jobs. We must recognize that China’s "peaceful rise" was pure fiction and finally to confront and respond to the Chinese Communist Party with the urgency the threat demands. To do that, House Republicans will establish a Select Committee on China in the new Congress."[8]

In his response to his appointment as committee chair, Gallagher said:

"The greatest threat to the United States is the Chinese Communist Party. The CCP continues to commit genocide, obscure the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, steal hundreds of billions of dollars worth of American intellectual property, and threaten Taiwan. The Select Committee on China will push back in bipartisan fashion before it’s too late."[9]

In an op-ed to FoxNews.com, the two described the committee as the starting point for a holistic government approach that will build on the efforts of the previous Republican-led China Task Force and "ensure America is prepared to tackle the economic and security challenges posed by the CCP."[8]

In December 2023, the committee released a set of 150 legislative recommendations to "reset" US economic relations with China.[10]

In 2023, the committee issued a report detailing of an illegal biolab that was found in Reedley, California and accused a lab worker and a citizen of China, of "transporting infectious diseases as well as stealing American and Canadian intellectual property".[11] The report also alleged that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) response was inappropriate as it didn't test the samples found in the lab, however the CDC had strongly disputed those allegations.[12] A federal investigation into the lab was later closed, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation concluded that "there were no weapons of mass destruction on the property".[13][14]

Scope

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The select committee is likely to focus not only on international affairs but also topics of concern regarding the influence of the Chinese Communist Party within the United States. The Hill reported that the committee was likely to take interest in large purchases of American agricultural lands by Chinese firms, China's human rights issues, and "ideological warfare."[5]

Members, 118th Congress

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Majority[15] Minority[16]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ officially abbreviated as the Select Committee on the CCP; sometimes called the House Select Committee on China[3]

References

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  1. ^ "H.Res.11 – Establishing the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party". congress.gov. U.S. Congress. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  2. ^ Zengerle, Patricia (January 10, 2023). "New U.S. House creates committee focused on competing with China". Reuters. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  3. ^ Zengerle, Patricia (January 11, 2023). "New U.S. House creates committee focused on competing with China". Reuters. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  4. ^ Zengerle, Patricia (December 8, 2022). "Republican Gallagher to lead new U.S. House China select committee". Reuters. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Brooks, Emily (December 8, 2022). "McCarthy taps Mike Gallagher to chair planned China Select Committee". The Hill. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Harris, Bryant; Shane III, Leo (December 8, 2022). "How a Republican House majority will affect defense policy". Federal Times. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  7. ^ McCaul, Michael (September 2020). "China Task Force Report" (PDF). House Foreign Affairs Committee Republican caucus. Washington, D.C.
  8. ^ a b McCarthy, Kevin (December 8, 2022). "China and the US are locked in a cold war. We must win it. Here's how we will". Fox News. Retrieved December 8, 2022.[unreliable source?]
  9. ^ Mike Gallagher [@RepGallagher] (December 8, 2022). "Rep. Gallagher's statement on being selected by @GOPLeader to serve as Chairman of the Select Committee on China" (Tweet). Retrieved December 8, 2022 – via Twitter. I'd like to thank Speaker-elect McCarthy for appointing me Chairman of the Select Committee on China and for his leadership on this issue. The greatest threat to the United States is the Chinese Communist Party. The CCP continues to commit genocide, obscure the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, steal hundreds of billions of dollars worth of American intellectual property, and threaten Taiwan. The Select Committee will push back in bipartisan fashion before it's too late. Even in divided government, we have an opportunity to build a united front against CCP aggression.
  10. ^ Martina, Michael (December 12, 2023). "US committee offers 2024 legislative 'blueprint' for countering China". Reuters. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  11. ^ "A biolab was operating in a California city. Here's what a congressional committee found". KVPR | Valley Public Radio. November 15, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  12. ^ Reporter, James Bickerton US News (November 17, 2023). "CDC responds to claims about Chinese biolab in California". Newsweek. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  13. ^ "China - Bio Lab in California". American Security Council Foundation. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  14. ^ "An illicit, Chinese-owned lab fueled conspiracy theories. But officials say it posed no danger". AP News. August 9, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  15. ^ "13 Republicans named to new US committee on China by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy". South China Morning Post.
  16. ^ "Democrats fill out select committees on Intel, China, COVID-19 and weaponization". The Hill.
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