Protesters were thrown out of the House committee on China’s first prime-time hearing Tuesday evening while speakers outlined a complex thread of threats from Beijing that stretch from human rights to trade, militaristic goals, and geopolitical machinations.
A woman protester was quickly thrown out of the hearing after interrupting Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI). She held up a sign reading, “China is not our enemy,” and wore a shirt that said, “Money for the poor not for war.”
SIX TAKEAWAYS FROM HOUSE CHINA COMMITTEE’S FIRST PRIME-TIME HEARING
Another protester was a man holding a sign reading, “Stop Asian hate.” However, he was holding the sign up backward, which someone was quick to remind him of as security escorted him outside. Gallagher could only smile as he was forced to pause his remarks for a second time.
The prime-time hearing came in the wake of startling developments in U.S.-China relations. The Chinese spy balloon incident unearthed long-held fears by many over China’s ability to spy on the U.S. Top U.S. officials this week, including FBI Director Christopher Wray, confirmed that they believe the virus responsible for COVID-19 “most likely” stemmed from a lab leak in China. And concerns remain that China will invade Taiwan as well as aid Russia with military aid in President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
While the protesters clearly felt conflict with China would be detrimental to the U.S. and Asian Americans within, lawmakers are increasingly feeling the pressure to take a firmer stance on China, seen by many as, even more than Russia, the U.S.’s main rival.
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Former President Donald Trump rolled out a trade agenda with China this week to effectively phase out all Chinese imports of critical goods, which will likely precede proposals from other candidates. How President Joe Biden engages with China going forward, as well as 2024 presidential hopefuls’ plans regarding the nation, is likely to play a major role in the election.
