Opinion | New U.S. House Committee isn’t about peace - It’s about saber-rattling
By Augustus K. Yeung
INTRODUCTION
Most recently, an urbane Mao Ning chastised Mike Gallagher and the new U.S House Committee dedicated to countering the Communist Party of China. She demanded that they discard their ideological bias and zero-sum Cold War mentality.
The new House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party must view China and China-U.S. relations in an objective and rational light, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing.
"We demand the relevant U.S institutions and individuals discard their ideological bias and zero-sum Cold War mentality," she said. They must "stop framing China as a threat, by quoting misinformation, stop denigrating the Communist Party of China, and stop trying to score political points at the expense of China-U.S. relations."
The committee began its work with a primetime hearing in which its chairman called on lawmakers to act with urgency, framing the competition between the U.S. and China as "an existential struggle over what life will look like in the 21st century."
Relations between the U.S. and China have now hit their lowest level in years, with both countries enacting retaliatory tariffs and trading accusations over China's controversial response to the COVID-19 pandemic…
With "a Fierce Critic of China" as Chairman, what's there to Hope for?
China's 'aggression" toward Taiwan, drive to assert "control" over the South China Sea and the recent flight of a suspected Chinese "spy" balloon over the U.S. have fueled hawkish lawmakers' desire to do more to counter Beijing.
Testifying to the strength of those "concerns", the 365-65 vote to create the committee was bipartisan, a rarity in the deeply divided Congress.
Committee chairman, Rep. Mike Gallagher – a Republican from Wisconsin who has been a fierce critic of Beijing – said the Chinese government has found friends on Wall Street and in lobbyist in Washington ("who are ready to oppose his committee's efforts.")
"Time is not on our side… we cannot afford to waste the next two years lingering in legislative limbo or pandering for the press," Gallagher said. "We must act with a sense of urgency."
Addressing worries the new committee could stir more anti-Asian hate crimes, Gallagher said that he was committed to ensuring the "focus is on the Chinese Communist Party, not on the people of China".
The hearing was interrupted by protesters, with the saying, "This committee is about saber rattling, it's not about peace." They were all ushered out by police. (Source: MDT/AP)
Gallagher Has Set the Focus of his Committee on Combating CPC
With a harsh critic such as the committee chairman what can we expect from this man?
Mr. Gallagher's "focus" is on the CPC, not on the people of China. Does he realize that the way China's democracy works is powered by the "whole process democracy"?
Gallagher must get this fact right before he misleads his new committee; any irrational anti-Chinese activities may have serious far-reaching repercussions for U.S.-China relations.
Three memoranda of understanding for Gallagher:
First, get a better understanding of the CPC, its mission, vision and management science-based organization; he will be surprised that this party and its government enjoy an overwhelming 90 per cent popularity, according to a Western study.
Second, he should take a study-trip to Southeast Asia and visit Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, and ask the leaders about the details of doing businesses with China.
He will find out, for example, that "Singapore looks to growth amid China reopening", not being coerced, or sanctioned by China, the region's largest trading partner.
Understand ASEAN's concerns and priorities which may not share Gallagher's "urgency" about combating the CPC.
Besides, Mr. Mike Gallagher and his 365-strong house committee members are not the only patriots in America, and "China's friends" in Wall Street are not there to sell out America. Rather, they are practicing American pragmatism.
More trips to the Asia-Pacific region will also help Gallagher to better understand their drive for prosperity and anxiety about any impending or trade war and/or military conflicts between the US and China.
Third, in the history of U.S. Congress, no one can rise above the political horizon by merely based on bashing one country or another: The most infamous U.S. politician was McCarthy, whose insane thinking had helped to persecute thousands of American leaders in all walks of life, making the era of McCarthyism the darkest age of America.
CONCLUSION
Conversely and conclusive, the outstanding politicians who have made it to America's corridor of power, or even the White House are the ones who have had extensive contacts with China, and enjoyed in-depth understanding of the nation.
These American leaders include President George W. Bush, who biked in, out and about of Beijing's hutongs, or stylistic back alleys with traditional four-compound mansions, enjoying his ride and life while connecting the Chinese folks, receiving the U.S. Secretary of State when Dr. Henry Kissinger was in Beijing for secret talks with Mao Ze-dong, opening a whole new chapter in U.S.-China relations.
More recently, when U.S. President Joe Biden was a novice Congressman, he was asked to negotiate a non-nuclear proliferation deal with the hard knocks in Kremlin back in the Cold War era. He used diplomatic skills such as politeness, courtesy, and political acuteness – and sealed his mission with tremendous success, without bashing Brezhnev, then supreme Soviet leader, and his party.
Mr. Gallagher is on his way to a dead-end if he harbors hate for the CPC, which is the most adored, the best party obsessed with "good governance" in the world – on account of its principled philosophy of putting "people-first".
A reminder: Contact former UK Prime Minister David Cameron who was so impressed by the achievements of the CPC – notably its poverty-alleviation campaign lifting 800 million Chinese out of poverty – that he published an influential article about it in The Wall Street Journal.
So, stop rattling the saber. Switch the focus back to better understanding the CPC. Work for healthier US-China relations.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
Read more articles by Augustus K. Yeung:
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