Cold War legislative barrage: House passes 25 anti-China bills in one week

In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, then Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, second right, shakes hands with members of United States Congress as Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, right, looks on during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan on Feb. 22, 2024. | Taiwan Presidential Office via AP

WASHINGTON—Reflecting U.S. determination to escalate tensions with China, the House of Representatives passed 25 bills in one week in September aimed at “countering” supposed Chinese influence and addressing alleged national security concerns.

Initiated by the Republican-led Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, the stated goal of the legislative onslaught was to deal with “the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party and develop a plan of action to defend the American people, our economy, and our values.”

In reality, the anti-Communist, anti-China policy program is based on racial profiling, xenophobia, and the desire to maintain U.S. global hegemony.

H.R. 1398, entitled “Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from the Chinese Communist Party,” is a revival of the Trump-era “China Initiative.” This Department of Justice program targeted primarily Chinese and Chinese American scientists accused of doing research that threatened U.S. national security.

The bill’s declared aim is to “curb spying by the Chinese Communist Party on United States intellectual property and academic institutions.” Under the Trump administration, the DOJ targeted hundreds of Chinese American academics and scientists, many of whom lost their jobs, but not a single supposed Chinese spy was ever prosecuted.

Instead, the climate of fear and racism led many Chinese scientists to return to China.

Jane Wu, a prominent neuroscience researcher at the University of Illinois, was persecuted and her lab was shut down; she then took her own life. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., chair of the Asian Pacific American Caucus, denounced the bill as “an egregious outcome of xenophobic and fear-mongering rhetoric.”

Also notable is H.R. 1157, the Countering the PRC Malign Influence Fund Authorization Act of 2023, which allocates $1.6 billion over five years for the State Department and USAID to fund media and civil society groups around the world to counter China’s “malign influence.”

The real goal of this heavy spending is to smear and undermine China’s Belt and Road Initiative, an international development and cooperation plan that includes 150 participating countries. The bill passed with a bipartisan 351-36 majority.

The House also passed the BIOSECURE Act, aimed at prohibiting contracts with biotechnology companies that have relationships with a “foreign adversary.” While China is not named in the bill, five Chinese companies are explicitly mentioned.

After the release of the bill, one of the companies, WuXi AppTec, said its inclusion in the ban was “a preemptive and unjustified designation without due process that the Company strongly objects to.” Additionally, members of Congress failed to acknowledge the strong reliance of U.S. pharmaceutical supply chains on some of the targeted Chinese companies and the danger their anti-China legislative crusade could pose to health in the U.S.

H.R. 9456, “Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act” would prohibit the sale of farmland to Chinese immigrants and nationals if they are deemed a national security threat, such as by purchasing land located near a U.S. military installation.

The Countering CCP Drones Act attempts to block the sale of Chinese-manufactured drones, already widely in use in the U.S. The “Securing Global Telecommunications Act” is aimed at Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturers, such as Huawei. The various other measures target a long list of products, such as Chinese EVs and batteries—crucial to managing climate change—and even profitable Wall Street investments in Chinese tech companies.

Many Asian and Chinese American advocacy groups have spoken out against the 25 anti-China bills. Having passed the House of Representatives, the bills are now being considered by the Senate.

While their final passage is uncertain, what’s already confirmed is that the latest barrage of anti-China propaganda helps prepare U.S. public opinion for conflict or war with China—an outcome that would be a disaster for the working class in this country and everywhere.

Racist “yellow peril” stereotypes are being whipped up, reminiscent of McCarthy-era repression targeting progressives and Communists. Countering the anti-China hate speech and fear-mongering with factual and balanced narratives and reporting is an urgent necessity. The reality is that China is not an “enemy” but rather a country that continuously seeks to cooperate with the U.S. on urgent global issues such as climate change, health, and peace.

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CONTRIBUTOR

Duncan McFarland

Duncan McFarland first visited China in 1981 with the U.S.-China People's Friendship Association and was the coordinator of the China Study Group (Boston) from 2008-2016.

Krista Chan

Krista Chan resides in Oakland, California, where she is a member of the Nitty Gritty Club.