11 Democrats named to US-China competition panel, led by Asian-American congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi

New ranking member of House select committee tasked with monitoring Chinese Communist Party’s progress urges against ‘dangerous rhetoric’
Krishnamoorthi joins Republican Michelle Steel and fellow Democrats Ro Khanna and Andy Kim as other panel members of Asian descent

US-China relations

Bochen Hanin Washington

Published: 1:45am, 3 Feb 2023

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Corrected [1:39am, 1 Mar, 2023]

[1:39am, 1 Mar, 2023]
This story was revised to change the number of Democrats on the US-China competition panel to 11. An earlier version of the story incorrectly stated that the number was 10.

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Eleven Democratic members of the House select committee on US-China competition were named on Wednesday, completing the panel’s roster about a week after 13 Republican members were announced.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, will take the top Democratic seat on the panel, which is tasked with investigating and submitting recommendations on “the status of the Chinese Communist Party’s economic, technological, and security progress and its competition with the United States”.

The other ten Democrats named to the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party are Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts; Shontel Brown of Ohio; André Carson of Indiana; Kathy Castor of Florida; Ro Khanna of California; Andy Kim of New Jersey; Seth Moulton of Massachusetts; Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey; Haley Stevens of Michigan; and Ritchie Torres of New York.

The panel, established last month with bipartisan support, cannot make or amend laws but has the authority to hold public hearings in line with its investigative functions. It is required to submit policy recommendations to standing committees by the end of 2023.

Krishnamoorthi was born in India and immigrated to the United States as an infant. His appointment came after some lawmakers urged House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries to appoint an Asian-American to head the party’s contingent on concerns the panel would fuel xenophobia and bigotry.

Addressing these concerns and stating that “anti-Asian hate and violence are on the rise”, Krishnamoorthi said after the announcement that it was “essential that this committee focuses its vital work on protecting all Americans from the threat posed by the CCP, while avoiding dangerous rhetoric that fuels the types of xenophobia that have endangered members of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community”.

Multiple Democratic members referenced concerns about dangerous rhetoric and potential harm to Asian communities in their announcements. Krishnamoorthi joins Republican Michelle Steel and fellow Democrats Khanna and Kim as other panel members of Asian descent.

Krishnamoorthi in a statement on Wednesday highlighted TikTok, potential attacks on Taiwan’s democracy, and intellectual property theft as key threats from the Chinese Communist Party, echoing what the Republican leadership had identified as high priorities for the committee.

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Krishnamoorthi, who will serve on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence alongside Carson, was the lead Democrat on a bipartisan bill to ban TikTok introduced by committee chairman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin in the last Congress.

The Illinois congressman also sponsored a law on monitoring China’s grey-zone activities – actions that fall between ordinary statecraft and open warfare.

After Wednesday’s announcement, Moulton, a former US Marine, said that “as a veteran who knows the horrors of war first-hand, I am committed to ensuring that deterrence doesn’t fail in the Pacific”.

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Moulton co-chaired the bipartisan Future of Defence Task Force in 2020 with Republican congressman Jim Banks of Indiana, a China hawk who will also serve on the committee. Along with fellow Democrats Khanna, Kim and Sherrill, Moulton will serve on the Armed Services Committee as well.

Khanna, a former deputy assistant secretary of commerce focused on trade, said in a statement on Wednesday that he planned to highlight the trade deficit with China while addressing Taiwan’s security issues.

Khanna sponsored an early version of what became the Chips and Science Act, legislation meant to help the US compete with China in hi-tech sectors.

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Stevens, who serves on the Education and Workforce Committee, said she would use her role on the new panel to “advocate for our automotive suppliers, advanced manufacturers, and working families”.

Castor, who chaired the now-defunct Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, said she looked forward to examining the “CCP’s economic, human rights and technological aims”.

Auchincloss, commenting on his appointment, echoed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s call for “serious lawmakers” to serve on the committee.

“This Congress, and my generation, has an opportunity to rise above politics to chart a course for sound strategy,” said Auchincloss.