Transcripts For CSPAN2 Liberty University Conference Panel O

CSPAN2 Liberty University Conference Panel On Chinas Influence In America July 12, 2024

So excited to be here today with two of my personal heroes. You know i always think about as a mother of five young children, three boys that someone mustve really thunk these words when these boys were young men that freedom is not free because they have taken at the heart. Two of the true heroes on the topic of battling the marxism that has been dated our society today, sadly, i just could not be in the presence of two greater warriors on the topic. And they are not johnnycomelatelys on this topic. These gentlemen have been battling this topic their entire careers. Really their entire lives. Both sacrificed greatly, as i like to quote with their lives in military service and then decided that wasnt quite enough to give up for a country that they wanted to then go even further and to give the gift of their time and their talents and their sacrifice and our congress fighting on the issue of fighting communism, hiding the ccp. Im going to tell you is the wife of a former senator from missouri, there are issues you can take on a be a hero. And then there are issues you can take on and be pelted for on a daily basis. That take courage and fortitude and personal sacrifice. And this issue is an issue that if youre going to take this on, your families going to be hit. Your children are going to be hit. You are going to be hit personally on a daily basis. Death threats are just beginning of the things that are going to happen to you if you take on the issues that these two just courageous and men of the men have taken on. Thats why its truly an honor for me to it get to introduce two of the bravest that we have among us in this country today. They are the hope for our businesses, they are the hope for our children and their futures. And they are the hope for the continuation of our republican this United States of america. Welcome representative jim banks and representative dan crenshaw, thank you for being with us today. [applause] i want to just start, gentlemen by just opening it to whoever would like to take it first. In passing what is your statement on the culpability of chinas moral responsibility in this virus . Thats go to first congressman. So first and foremost there is what we know that we cant talk about, on what we know we cant talk about we been briefed on behind closed doors in a classified setting. What we can say is we can get hung up on whether or not the coronavirus or covid19 was intentionally released and thrust upon the rest of the world and intended to destroy in effect harm on americans, we can put that discussion aside for a moment which is what i prefer to do, but we know the end of the day and we can talk about by china preventing the cdc from coming in to study in january of the beginnings of the outbreak, by refusing to allow two International Organizations and American Organization the to study those, Robert Obrien the National Security adviser, he discusses a study that shows 90 of cases of covid19 would have been avoided if we could have gone in in january when we tried to to investigate the beginnings of covid19 to better understand it. That alone is white china is morally coble, why they should be held accountable for the spread of the coronavirus. Back in 2005, china and the United States and another for other countries around the world signed onto International Health regulations with the un to stop the spread of the pandemic that you can harken back to that and what were dealing with now, they violated many that they signed on 20005 and should be held accountable for. Right now they are not. If someone in the white house were intent on holding them accountable. But i fear what that looks like the next lesson may go back to an era return a blind eye to not just the coronavirus but a lot of other activities in the Chinese Communist party where we dont hold them accountable. So i went to get to that without being political at all this is an educational not a political event. There are two candidates and both of them have laid out very binary plans that are not divergent in any way. Not only that they both demonstrated that President Biden is part of the Obama Administration had distinct policy and plan in President Trump is taken it completely different plan different lane, different road pretty want to get to that. I want to get to you know it she did talk about what should what is the price china should have to pay. I want to add a couple of things as well to what jim said. China knew there was a virus. They cut off travel domestically inside of china between hannon others but not internationally. I completely agree that the take that jim had on this. We can question their intent, but we do know their actions pray they did allow it to spread. They also spread misinformation through their contact it will help an organization. Even as recently as she prevented exports of ppe as wel well. There is quite a few things to add to the list there. Now what should be the price of that . Thats with the discussion gets complicated. First of all we need a realignment. We need a change in paradigm and how we view china. We need to view them as what they are. They are an adversarial relationship. Not quite the sold on choate cold war. You could say they wanted to see america implode from within. Ill think necessarily what china wants, the utter destruction of the United States, our economies are too closely intertwined. What they do want is to spread their domestic outlook onto the world. So we have a liberal global world order that is long been protected by the United States. The chinese want to take that over and taken over the system with an authoritative regime. So dont export that internationally. Thats with the belton Road Initiative is. Is a belton road that has a marketbased system to work. But the rules of the road they want to dictate. That is what they want to export. We need to be fully conscious of that. When you look at the difference between biden and trump, biden has been in office for quite a long time. Well before i was born. He is part of this notion that we should help chinas rise. And if we do that they will enter the liberal global order and a responsible way and adhere to our values its simply not true. Its certainly not clear to me that biden, for one has realize that. So so backing up to the culpability and responsibility on covid, what should the response of the United States b be . What price should check china pay specifically to maybe prevent the next pandemic. I have one bill that would pay quite the literal price. This allows u. S. Citizens to use our court system to sue china for damages. Now in reality what is that look like . Looks like possibly a classaction lawsuit that goes after their enterprises do i expect him to rice a big check . No i do not. Its one thing among many that we can do we need to encourage these investigations we need you to be bottom of it. We need to come up with creative ideas. That is not a simple answer how we make them pay. Again thats why reverted to the broader discussion of its a realignment is competing with them on multiple fronts its intellectual property theft, we closed on the consulate in my district in houston which is being used to spy on the Texas Medical Center to get access to the technology and vaccines. Now they want to make money off the virus they were hiding from everybody so we absolutely need to hold them accountable for this. So and congressman banks if you would speak to what degree of help from our allies . Civic class week secretary pompeo gave what i believe the most significant speech he has given during his time in the Trump Administration as secretary of state. He gave it at the Richard Nixon library which is symbolic in and of itself is the president who open the door that led down to the path the normalizing relationships with china. In that speech secretary talked about leveraging our allies abroad and creating a coalition of the free world versus communist china. Not just in an effort to hold them accountable but this realignment that dan is talking about, much of the same way we form coalitions about activities and afghanistan its time we begin to build that coalition of western countries who believe in western values. If you really boil this down, it is the repressive, authoritarian regime when values of the Chinas Communist Party versus the free and open Democratic Values of the United States of america and most of our allies. That is the dividing line. What dan is describing, whether we have incredible significant examples in recent months forced the nba, im from indiana we love basketball in indiana. I cant tell you how sick to the stomach it made me feel when the leadership many of the best basketball players of her day, groveled to china into Chinese Communist party values versus the values of the country they come from. This powerful example show you what we are up against. The next American Century be one thats governed by american interests . Or will be all subject ourselves to it lebron james in so many other nba players have been chasing the almighty dollar in interest of what china wants us to believe in. That is what we are up against. Thats what we cannot allow to happen. That is why secretary pompeos historic speech of the library last week. This administration is the only one in my lifetime that is sought to be tough on china through tougher trade deals, building up our military in a way that can combat the chinese military. This administration is very first year release the National Security that call for Great Power Competition with china on getting ourselves out of other important, dan and i both agree its going on the middle east is not just important yesterday but for a long time to come. To build up a military back combat the military china threat and away her last militaries not been able to do for the last generation. That powerful statement to join us in that endeavor something significantly should not lose sight of. So to bring up a great point. How do we classify whatever we are engaged in . If its a war is an informational work . Is it a medical work . We know there is a lot of battle on that front. What is this that we are engaged in . How do you classify it . So Administration Calls at Great Power Competition lisa did in 2017. And since then, as this administration builds upon that, this administration seems that weve all been through a very long movie the last four years. Where we are today with secretary pompeo, National Security adviser obrien, this president has surrounded himself with the leading minds of our time to understand the greatest x essential threat in America Today is china, economically and militarily. So is interesting i want to stop you for one second so what you do address that. If you watch the news today on any network except perhaps the one i work for, very few other exceptions you are going to hear the greatest threat we have today is russia not china. So continue. Or those of Mainstream Media outlets will said the greatest threat we face today is the president of her own country, sadly when this present is the only president in my lifetime has identified the truth that we face in china. I would say this. We cant and when the new cold war if we are constantly engaged in the civil war that we are engaged in an america thats are worried about and thats what im concerned about this election was not a political conference, i understand the challenges for the restrictions we have with politics, the election in novembers all about whether or not we will continue down a path of recognizing the greatest threat we face in china or whether we will retreat to pass not just the Obama Administration but Republican Administration of fully turn a blind eye to the china threat whether to join the wto or altogether ignoring their violations of Many International laws pursuing rip, stealing our jobs, thrusting the coronavirus on us without ever being held accountable for. Think the best way to describe it is a conflict of visions. We have a different vision on how to govern. So our vision is one where people are allowed to self govern, live freely, choose their own government and pursue their unhappiness. Thats a particular vision were human nature can be the parameters can be set by Democratic Institutions but not funnily changed man. The vision of the chinese is much different. They do believe in the ability to form human nature to create a collective. And basically any means to justify those ends. You can see it now, theyre putting in concentration camps, shaving their heads. There was an instance we just saw for our custom seized a bunch of human hair. Is being shipped here to make hair braids. It is horrible what is happening over there. This is because they have a totally different vision of humanity. They have a different vision for civilization. They want to export that vision. This is the essential conflict on how they perceive the freedom of the individual. What scares me the most is that vision, is not as toxic as you might think to american mines, especially young ones. So what are we saying right now in america . What is our civil war . Its also a conflict of vision and is fundamentally that is wellpaid the progressive belief is a topdown belief that people should think the way they want to. That people should speak the way they want them to. And again, the memes justify the ends because theres always some type of utopia there always trying to achieve. Utopianism has a bad history and humanity it results in a lot of people dead. Just like maoism had tens of thousands of people dead. Now theyre basically reenergizing that same kind of vision. When you talk about utopianism its very romantic, people are susceptible to it especially young people because maybe deep down they are morally good and they want to achieve something better. But what they fail to understand is the foundation for success that created america, the success of american freedom, personal freedom, a culture of rights. That is something only we have in america. And i mean it will only we have that. There is no bill of rights in Great Britain or canada. Their freedom of speech can be trampled on. Ours cannot be by law. Now is, thats a different discussion about cancel culture. Release we have a culture of rights them are losing that in the chinese are happy to perpetuate that. Its not to say the russians arent a threat, the russians are very good Information Warfare because theyve been doing it for a long time. They have been planing conflict of visions game for a century. They are very good at it. The chinese are Getting Better at it. We need to be going into this with eyes wide open. When you talk to people about this topic, which obviously you must have to do every single da day. We you have the opportunity to try to wake them up . What is that lightbulb moment look like . If you like so much of the country is asleep on this. Its technical comets over their head, they dont understand geopolitics, art children are not even taught that anymore. You cannot really hearken back to now because you dont even know what theyre talking about. You cannot hearken back as far as world war ii because they dont know that history. So congressman, how do you wakeup the population that does not understand history, does not understand the geopolitical situation they really dont understand her constitution. What is that lightbulb look like . So that is the milliondollar question. Thats why we are in such a difficult battle here. It takes another generation of teaching the right principles to counter generations of teaching the wrong principles. So we dont have that time. Where do we as an audience today start on this . In your individual conversations ask questions of the person prove youre trying to persuade somebody again without knowing the topic and that persons demeanor and how they are coming at it which misconceptions they are to have built their mind, it depends. What i find best to do is simply ask the question you wish a reporter would ask them. Dont confront them with your ideology what is somebody do they get deceptive and its hard to change someones mind the fact it doesnt matter to certain point lunch or emotionally attached to an argument. So helping them reason through is generally speaking my best advice without knowing the cut text of that particular conversation. My best advice for how to persuade somebody but it takes a work it is a generational battle. I actually find where i come from people do get it. I dont have to educate them about it because farmers in northeast indiana have seen what bad trade deals which china have done to devastate their markets. Right confirm we make things we have more manufacturing jobs. Capita my district that needs in the conch tree. Remit cars, medical devices, and i talked to businesses every day with experienced themselves or someone in their supply chain has asked springs ip theft. So working class, hardworking middleclass family in my district have seen china greek havoc on our economy for this is by donald trump was elected in 2016 to begin with. And why he got over 70 of the vote in a district like mine. Which is one of these bluecollar type districts that is always done really wellin because of this china issue. So today, most of the same people are sitting back and wondering why arent we doing enough to hold them accountable for what what we are suffering through it the moment . I dont have a lot of complaint about the administration but i do wish this administration would rise up and be tougher to hold china accountable for the coronavirus, for the three and half trillion dollars weve added to

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