Transcripts For CSPAN3 Senate Foreign Relations Hearing On U

CSPAN3 Senate Foreign Relations Hearing On U.S.-China Relations July 12, 2024

The committee will come to order. Thank you all for coming today, i dont think all of you for being here. It is our honor to have the deputy secretary of state here to testify on u. S. Policy regarding peoples republic of china. I originally defaulting back in march, however, our need to focus on the Community Protests from doing that. It is important this committee continue its work on its most committing Foreign Policy challenges, obviously china is one of those. As a complete mistrust correctly recognized, china is a strategic in global competitor of the United States. It would be the greatest Foreign Policy challenge the United States faces in decades to come. Policies of the Chinese Communist party undermine u. S. Interests and values, as we share with partners around the world. Covid19 has brought this challenge the fork front of american life. We now know just how much the Chinese Communist partys decisions and actions directly affect u. S. Citizens, our allies and partners in the entire world and we know not even a Global Pandemic will stop chinas aggressive behavior, whether thats in hong kong, the South China Sea, or the indian border. Over the last three years the Trump Administration has taken more steps to put United States on the stronger path in beating china. Last week i was glad to see long overdue sanctions on Chinese Communist party officials, human rights abuses in tibetan elsewhere. I was also pleased, that we declared chinas claims to the South China Sea has unlawful and deployed to carrier battle groups there for exercises, and after the Chinese Communist party crushed hong kongs autonomy, the president made the tough but necessary decision to end certain types of special treatment for hong kong. In may, the administration published a report on the administrations china strategy that goes into more detail so this is a good time for this committee to conduct oversight regarding our objectives, what weve done, and where we go from here. This is also an opportunity to discuss china legislation put forward by members of this committee and others, and economic geopolitical initiatives, or the strategic gag, it is a comprehensive approach to china with concrete policies in several key areas of the competition. Ill describe to move them briefly. We must continue our focus on chinas and it competitive and economic policies. The Chinese Government engaged in intellectual property theft and massive financing of Chinese Companies. In the most abusive anti free market tactic, this is a horrible practice, forced technology transfer. It is reprehensible, this is designed push others out of the market and great monopolies. Innovative American Companies based in my home state of idaho know these challenges well. Their intellectual property was stolen by a Chinese Company who then patented that technology in china and sued micro. On the strategic i got it rises new tools for u. S. Companies to address the harms caused by such policies among several other provisions. To maintain our economic and technological edge it is not enough to just push back on what china is doing. We also have to strengthen and invested ourselves. In other committees out focused on this issue by supporting legislation, including u. S. Manufacturing critical technologies, fortifying Cybersecurity Infrastructure and small businesses, and strengthening our technology workforce. The strategic act with allies and partners. America is a world hub for innovation and we can boost that further by working with our highly capable partners. If we do, we will all be in a better position to develop technologies of the future and ensure they are used to uphold individual freedom, human rights and prosperity. Finally, i want to stress the importance of deterrence. Delighted states, of, course does not see any sort of military confrontation with china. However, transmilitary is getting bigger and more aggressive. In the indopacific region we should all be more worried about the Chinese Communist partys plans for taiwan, given what it just did to hong kong. In addition to the South China Sea, japan faces almost daily incursions of pressure in the east china sea. Beyond the region, chinas belt Road Initiatives also helping the Chinese Military expand its presence. We have to make a completely clear the Chinese Communist party that we are willing and able to defend our interests. That means reforming our commitments to our indopacific allies, even as they need to take on the larger industry share. The strategic act focus some he steps for advancing events cooperation with our allies, including advocating for several difficult but important policy changes. I want to stress that this bill live introduced does not seek to block china. Rather, what does it offers prosperity, it offers an invitation to join the International Community to operate under the rule of Law International norms. When that happens, we all prosper. We should not missed a bipartisan opportunity that we have today to address these things. I will close with a note about bipartisanship im a time again on everything from adjustment to human rights, and unfortunately in response bipartisanship has become a lot harder. We along with ahead of us in this competition we cannot allow partisanship to get in the way, even in an election year. Whatever happens in november, china will remain an issue. If we do not Work Together, the United States as a whole will be introduces bill to push forward, serious a bipartisan conversations about the senates role in advancing an effective strategy of competition. I want to thank several of my colleagues on this committee, from both sides of the aisle, for joining me in that effort. There is both republican and democrat input into this bill, not only from this committee, but also for the thanks around washington, d. C. , including democrat think tanks. I hope this will be the start of more cooperation to come. When we get to a final bill, im very hopeful that bill will contain items that everyone has an interest in. Theres been a number people have been introduced bills. Another Ranking Member is about to introduce a bill, and i hope as we get to a final bill, we will have things we can embrace on a bipartisan basis. With, that i will turn things over directly member senator menendez. Thank, you mister chairman. My thanks for joining us here today, especially as it has been so long since weve had a Senior Administration witness before the committee. As you and i have discussed in the past, i think the administration is asking the right questions of china in the u. S. China relationship. Unfortunately, however, i find that the Administration Strategies and policies fall well short of answering you normandy of the challenge. We need instead, as a title of this hearing suggests, an effective china strategy. The china 2020 is not the china of 1972 or even the china of 2000 or 2010. Toronto today is challenging the United States across every dimension of power. Political, diplomatic, economic, innovation, military, even cultural, and with an alternative and deeply disturbing model for global governance. Propelled by xi jinping, hyper nationalism, is unlike any child replaced by faces nation. Before emboldened by the shortcomings of the Trump Administration, china today is more active and more assertive in that region and into the International Community than they were before. Indeed, just since this past march, china has increased patrols, near the prosecco islands, these try to, city as well as its course of activities in the South China Sea. Conducted air maritime patrols, intended to threaten taiwan, clashed with india along the actual line of control. The Peoples Liberation army first use of force abroad in 30 years, continue to implement him morally repugnant campaigned genocide in this injuring, its cool oppression of the tibetan people and the crushing of its own civil liberties. Just yesterday, i released a report, the new big brother, looking at how china has stepped up its game in seeking to export a new model of digital authoritarianism and manipulate new technologies tocontrolled zone citizens and people worldwide. Aside from bluster, rhetoric, and some hastily written sanctions, what has the response been from the administration . The administration is now taking strong action on hong kong but four months, when the people of hong kong needed us, the president was silent, then complicit in chinas erosion of hong kongs autonomy, happy to trade hong kong for his socalled trade deal. Along with the chairman, i welcome regular freedom of navigation assertions and the administrations recent clarification on our push to claims in the South China Sea but the reality is that in the past three years, chinas aggression and coercion in the South China Sea has continued completely unchecked. You didnt United Kingdoms change of policy was welcomed, i would say, in spite of us, not because of, us and untrain economics, this administration is walkway for building regional architecture, embrace the so called phase one trade deal, which seemingly achieves nothing, and certainly does not address the core structural issues of the relationship, and leaves us, in the words of our own u. S. Trade representatives, wondering what the end goal of your trade policy is, and if he does not know, then we all have a real problem. On taiwan, i know that every year of the obama biden administration, in new year of the Trump Administration, has that been the case and i could go on. In short, i am deeply concerned that the administrations approach is one which labels on the mistaken belief that just being confrontational is the same thing as being competitive. Thats my question, in fact, what the act that the administration announced today in houston, i am all for safeguarding our National Security. I understand the importance of being tough with china. But being tough is the means, not the end so, while there may be reason to taking this action, and i look forward to being briefed on the appropriate setting, i want to understand better, not just a tactical considerations but how this measure advances our strategy. What is the effect we expect this to happen chinas behavior . When china retaliate, as they have said they will, what will be our next move, and our next after that . Obviously not asking you to disclose specific actions, which i know you will not and should not but this is not a simple to step dance so, help me understand where you think this is all going. I ask this because there should be a little doubt that we are indeed in a new era of strategic competition with china and the United States needs a new strategic framework and new set of organizing principles to address the challenges of this new era. So, far and despite all the bluster, that effective new strategy has been utterly lacking from this administration. One of the core organizing principles i would suggest its the importance of working in close coordination with our allies and partners to develop a shared and effective approach to china, and have to say, secretary, that the administrations disaster lou wrong headed, eliminated, and attacking approach to our alliances have been one of the most disheartening to witness these past several years. Our alliances, our partnerships, and the valleys and which they stand, and our reliability in the face of adversity are our special source for effective Global Leadership. This value doing diplomacy is one of the reasons why senator rubio and i have joined colleagues around the globe and for the International Parliamentary alliance of china, to build the relationships needed for our success. I know you are good with this president and the administration have been uniquely successful with china and i know youre good at your job, but factor indeed stubborn things. Now, before the hearing devolves into hearing bashing china in the World Health Organization for the covid pandemic, let me assure you i stand second no one in this body regarding concerns over have chinas paranoid totalitarianism contributed to its spread. But blame game politics will not save american lives. Instead of relying on science and knowledge, administrations for this energy toward finding racially inflammatory rhetoric that it further illinois test on the global stage, including at the g7 and the un Security Council. Chinas malign intent of the World Organization elsewhere, disillusion, show up, take action. If u. S. Leads. Others will follow, if we leave the field open, if our own country cannot develop a serious strategy, others like china earlier december the bat. Another chairman is because legislation in china, i welcome his effort. I mentioned another hearing this morning, and also work with colleagues to create a comprehensive china strategy. Cross cutting jurisdictions beyond this committee. Including trading Economic Issues and investments here at home, which we plan to shortly introduce. Given the shortcomings of the president s tactics, but no strategy to china, a comprehensive an integrated strategy is needed. I suspect there will be many areas, so i look forward to working with him on a combined approach. And the spirit, mister secretary, that i implore you today to engage beyond this hearing in a genuine conversation with us about how we Work Together to develop a comprehensive approach to china. To reset our strategy and our diplomacy. To reinvest and replenish the sources of National Strength and competitiveness at home. To place our partnerships and allies first. On that reflects, our fundamental values as well. Thank you. Thank you. I think in comparing our two statements, we have much to agree on and, overall, i think we both agree that this comprehensive strategy is needed as we go forward. I can assure you, when you do get that briefing on the closing, you certainly will agree that the closing was appropriate, under the circumstances. So, with that, i want to turn to our witness, the honorable Stephen Biegun who was sworn in to stay in december of 2019. He is serving as the special representative of north korea. He has three decades of experiences in both legislative branches, including the chief of staff of Senate Foreign relations committee. Deputy, we appreciate your being here today and invite you to have the floor thank you mister chairman. Thank you senator menendez. If i may ask for my full statement to be submitted to the record. I would like to give a shorter version in order to have maximum time for questions from the members today. Certainly agreeable. We will include your full statement. Again, thank you both for the invitation to testify today. It really is a pleasure and im pleased to be back. As you both pointed out, this is an important moment in u. S. , china relations and the secretary and i appreciate your serious focus and that of the whole committee in trying to shape a bipartisan approach to this vital policy matter. We recognize that through a successful u. S. Policy towards the prc must be grounded in consensus across our governing institutions and across our society. Mister chairman, for this reason, we welcome the legislation you introduced today and senator menendez, we look forward to seeing yours as well. These are designed to frame u. S. Strategic approach to the prc and this, along with all of the recent legislation passed by the congress, have a provided us the crucial tools to advance our policies against the challenges we face. Across multiple administrations, the United States has supported chinas entry in the rule space of International Order and hopes that china will be a partner in upholding International Laws, norms and institutions and that the United States and china can develop a friendly relationship with a simple benefit. Over more than three decades, u. S. Policies towards the prc have advance that goal through a massive outpouring of International Assistance and lending, through foreign investment, facilitation of chinese membership and global institutions and the education of millions in chinas brightest scholars at our best universities. For where this administration divergence from previous administrations is in the will to face the uncomfortable truth in the u. S. , china relations. The policies of the past three decades simply have not produced the outcomes for which so many had hoped and that the United States must take Decisive Ac

© 2025 Vimarsana