At an American Enterprise Institute (AEI) session on June 14, devoted to combatting “Chinese influence,” speakers included Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL).
He is a chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, which examined the possible costs and advantages of detaching from China.
We Are Bound to Them
When questioned about China’s ongoing financial connections with Russia, despite US sanctions, LaHood stated the following:
“I’m not normally a believer of tariffs, but the tariff barriers that President Trump imposed attracted the attention of the Chinese.”
“There is agreement that business as usual cannot continue, but there is no agreement on what to do,” said Derek Scissors, a distinguished scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
He emphasized the financial consequences of doing business with China, including intellectual property theft.
China is acquiring US tech via hacking, espionage and tech transfer agreements at the state level.https://t.co/uRptbkV9pk
— Michael Ron Bowling (@mrbcyber) June 11, 2022
“You’re a target, as well as a partner,” he explained. “Xi Jinping isn’t moving anywhere, and he’s not changing.”
While Scissors seemed less hawkish than LaHood on the need for separation, he also seemed less hawkish on the potential of a clash over Taiwan’s fate.
Foreign policy assistant editor James Palmer said Chinese jabs at the US might highlight true vulnerabilities, such as our reliance on rare earth extracted and processed in China.
During the panel debate, Adolfo Urso, the head of the Italian legislature’s intelligence committee, made similar remarks.
He stated, through a translator, the West should ensure key technology, particularly “green technology,” is placed in the hands of allies.
They Have an Economic Hold Over Us
Palmer argued the “massive profits” that may be generated in China entice American corporations.
“The reality that American firms remain devoted, even after all the things they acquire from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), shows how enticing they are,” he remarked.
Many publications, notably the 2019 Hoover Institute report “China’s Influence and America’s Interests,” have shown the CCP’s rising leverage on American corporations and governments.
The China National Chamber of Commerce, China’s principal domestic vector for business pressure in the United States, was cited as a crucial player (CGCC).
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, is one of the CGCC’s American politicians.
Myself and many others campaigned hard against Vaccine Passports & a QR code society.
I regularly called them “ movement licences “ for a good reason.Here’s how future Governments could use them against YOU.
Never Again. @Togetherdec https://t.co/k4xQfgn0SH
— Adam Brooks 🇬🇧 (@EssexPR) June 14, 2022
According to the group’s website and the news site CapitolFax, Pritzker spoke at the group’s 2019 gala.
The banquet was held at a Hyatt Regency hotel in the city of Chicago, according to CapitolFax, as well as Cision.
The Hyatt name has long been associated with the Pritzker family, who are billionaires. J.B. Pritzker has been contacted by The Epoch Times for comments.
Palmer of Foreign Policy asserted the Chinese government is adept at “reaching out to and stroking the egos” of visiting American businessmen.
At an AEI discussion panel on June 14, he remarked, “You basically transform yourself into an advocate for them.”
Despite his previous support for China’s entry to the World Trade Organization in 2001, Urso expressed his objection to Italy’s participation in China’s Belt and Road.
