Capitol Monitor - New China Framework

Congressman Randy Forbes | Capitol Monitor

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April 19, 2012

The U.S. needs a strategy on China

The United States is at a crossroads in deciding which path to follow in dealing with the People's Republic of China. In the past decade we have watched as China has grown to become the world’s second largest economy, the world’s largest manufacturer and has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in modernizing its military capability. For the first time in our nation’s history one of our largest trading partners, and the single largest holder of our foreign debt, is an aspiring peer competitor. Faced with this challenge, the U.S. government has failed to develop a strategic vision to guide an integrated, government-wide approach to U.S.-China relations. Lacking a forward-thinking framework, our government has been relegated to a position of reactionary policymaking.

In order to break this trend Congressman Frank Wolf (VA-11) and I have introduced a resolution to formulate a new strategy in dealing with China.

Some of the current issues between U.S.-China Relations:

•   The lack of a guiding framework for U.S. policy towards the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has invited misinterpretation of U.S. strategy and, at times, internally contradictory policy pursuits.
•   The PRC has repeatedly violated WTO rules and U.S. export laws in order to implement unfair trade practices against U.S. exports/imports.
•   The PRC’s military modernization stands in stark contradiction to Beijing’s rhetoric of a peaceful rise.
•   The People’s Liberation Army’s modernization and buildup is challenging U.S. defense capabilities and the stability of U.S. alliances in the region.
•   Contrary to the peaceful U.S. space program, the PRC is developing an advanced military and commercial space capability.
•   The PRC continues in its proliferation of military supplies and defense technologies to Iran, in violation of U.S. sanctions.
•   The U.S. remains firmly committed to all elements of the Taiwan Relations Act, especially maintaining “the capacity of Taiwan to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security…of the people of Taiwan.”
•   There is a time-honored friendship between the people of the U.S. and China; however the PRC continues to oppress the Chinese people by denying basic human rights, such as freedom of speech, religion and assembly.

To view a timeline on security developments in China click the photo below.

Our objective with this resolution intends to:

•   That the U.S. sustains and deploys unambiguous defense and intelligence capabilities to foster deterrence and resists coercion in the Asia-Pacific region.
•    Pursue a robust, balanced, and diversified U.S. economy in order to provide leverage in all interactions with the PRC.
•    Sustain and deploy clear and overwhelming counterintelligence capability to protect the U.S. national security.
•    Prevent the transfer of dual-use technology.
•    Encourage the PRC to support political reform, the rule of law, transparency, democratization, human rights, and religious freedom.
•    Convey to Beijing that responsible behavior will create the possibility for a genuine partnership between the U.S. and the PRC, while unacceptable behavior will incur costs that far outweigh any gains.

As part of my effort to raise awareness on this issue, I traveled to Harvard University and spoke at a US-China forum sponsored by the Diplomat Journal. Pictures of this event are included below.

Additional Reading:

The Hill: Forbes bill calls for more US intel, military assets against China
Read the text of the bill: H.Res.616
The Diplomat: Pivot to the Pacific: US-China Relations

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Media Appearances - A way of connecting with America

Over the last week I had the pleasure to participate in various national and local interviews, including being a featured guest on Governor Mike Huckabee's new radio program. Additionally I spoke with Fox News Channel, Fox Business, CNN, NBC, USA Today, The Associated Press and other outlets regarding the scandal in Colombia involving our Secret Service. If you would like to catch up on my media appearances please follow the links below.

Fox News Channel: http://ow.ly/amHwA

CNN: http://tinyurl.com/cg6mwyy

USA Today: http://tinyurl.com/crek728

Mike Huckabee Radio Program:

http://forbes.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Randy_Forbes.mp3

Forbes Recognized for Lowering Taxes and Reducing Government Spending

The American Conservative Union (ACU) announced that Congressman Forbes earned the ACU Ratings Award for 2011.