Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) said that although President Joe Biden's National Security Strategy acknowledges the threat that China poses, his administration has taken little actual action to confront that threat.
"Communist China is an existential threat to the United States. While the Biden administration’s National Security Strategy recognizes this threat, the fact is the administration has done little to position us to deter and defeat Communist China,” Scott said in a Facebook post. “Our nation must act decisively to protect our interests from China’s increasingly aggressive regime, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to deter the CCP.”
The National Security Strategy issued by the Biden administration on Wednesday includes a section on “out-competing China.” It calls for a three-pronged approach to meet the challenges posed by China: Investing in domestic innovation, aligning with allies and other partners with whom the U.S. shares common goals and competing “responsibly” with China “to defend our interests and build our vision for the future.”
The report highlights China's intention to "reshape the international order" and notes that China has gained the military, economic and technological power necessary to do so, but also states that the U.S. and China could coexist peacefully and work together on issues such as climate change and global public health. The document calls for avoiding military escalation and reaffirms that the Biden administration does not support Taiwan's independence.
The Countering Communist China Act, which Scott cosponsored, recognizes China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as the United States’ top national security threat and aims to counter China's malign influence and theft of intellectual property, according to the bill’s text.
One provision would require the declassification of information related to the origin of COVID-19, determine whether China's role constitutes the use of a biological weapon and seek reimbursement from China for the funds the U.S. government used to mitigate the pandemic, the bill stated.
The legislation would invest in supply chain security, especially relating to medical and pharmaceutical items and national security, according to the bill’s text. The legislation aims to protect American universities, laboratories and research institutions from CCP influence and theft, restricting foreign funding of educational institutions and limiting partnerships with the People's Republic of China. The act would place prohibitions on undermining U.S. policy regarding Taiwan and seek a free trade agreement with Taiwan. It would address the genocide in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and impose sanctions on individuals participating in human rights abuses.
Rep. Jim Banks introduced the bill in July 2021 and it has been joined by more than 50 Republican cosponsors, according to Bill Track 50. The legislation was referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources in September 2021 and has not been moved out of the committee.
Scott is serving his sixth term for Georgia's Eighth Congressional District, according to his website. His priorities include strengthening the U.S. military to ensure defense against adversaries including China and Russia and advancing legislation that benefits Georgia's farmers and rural communities.
