House panel risks inflaming Sino-US tensions
Congressional committee an outdated effort to show tough stance on China, analysts say
The newly formed US congressional select committee on competition with China, which met for the first time on Feb 28, risks stoking the so-called China threat theory, escalating Sino-US tensions, and creating an unfriendly atmosphere toward China in the United States and the Western world, analysts say.
The committee’s inaugural hearing began at 7 pm local time, an apparent attempt to draw a prime-time audience, and included old videos used to portray modern China in a negative light.
Representative Mike Gallagher, the committee chairman, declared in his opening remarks that “this is not a polite tennis match”, adding that “the most fundamental freedoms are at stake”.
While some in the US see the hearing as a way to “selectively decouple” the US and Chinese economies, it is likely to have a significant impact on US-China relations, said Shen Dingli, a professor and former executive dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai.
“It will no doubt further intensify tensions,” he said. “Though the committee has no legislative power, it could provoke negative sentiments toward China among the US public and Washington’s allies.”
On March 1, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called on “relevant US institutions and individuals” to discard their ideological bias and Cold War mentality, and view China and China-US relations in an objective and rational light.
They should stop framing China as a threat by quoting disinformation, stop denigrating the Communist Party of China and stop trying to seek political gains at the expense of China-US relations, Mao said.
Opponents among the Democrats largely voiced concern that the committee could stir an even greater rise in anti-Asian hate crimes.
The first half hour of the hearing on Feb 28 was disrupted by two protesters holding signs reading “China is not our enemy” and “Stop Asian Hate”.
“We need cooperation. Warmongering is the greatest threat to this country. You’re all about war,” one protester shouted before they were removed by security and arrested.
The committee appears to serve as a catchall aimed at condemning China on past events and current disputes concerning the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Taiwan.
Panelists also spent significant time discussing the competition in the semiconductor industry, expressing concern about China’s technological advancement.
Critics have long argued that the establishment of the select committee is an outdated product of the Cold War mindset that will hamper international cooperation in the post-COVID era.
Michael Swaine, a Washingtonbased analyst focusing on Chinese security issues, said of the House committee, “It’s another indication of the negative slide, the downward spiral, in the US-China relationship.”
The hearings will add to the political pressure on US President Joe Biden, who has continued to stress a desire for limited dialogue with China, to take a harder line, he said.