China-focused House committee to continue in new US Congress

Washington: The US House of Representatives' bipartisan select committee focused on China will continue in the new Congress, the panel's leaders said on Monday, reflecting the desire of both Republicans and Democrats to counter Beijing.

The panel, led by Republicans since its creation in 2023, aims to highlight what lawmakers see as a sweeping set of security and economic challenges posed by the United States' top geopolitical rival.

Its renewal in the new Congress comes ahead of
President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration for a second term on
Jan. 20.

Trump has repeatedly voiced admiration for Chinese leader Xi
Jinping, but his first term, from 2017-2021, resulted in a trade
war with China that uprooted global supply chains and hurt
almost every economy as inflation and borrowing costs shot up.

Trump also has nominated China hard-liners to key diplomatic
and economic roles in his new administration, signaling his
China policy could be even more confrontational than during his
first term.

Members of the House committee from both parties have touted
their close working relationships in an era of deep partisan
divisions in Congress, and while the committee doesn't have
legislative powers, its individual members have introduced and
promoted bills to counter threats from China, some of which have
passed into law.
The committee also has used its platform to call out entities
in the U.S., including companies and academic institutions, it
felt were not sufficiently alert to risks posed by Beijing and
Chinese companies.

The panel is led by Republican Chairman John Moolenaar and
Democratic ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi.