Progressives warn Biden, Congress against fuelling hatred with anti-China measures
- Anti-war lawmakers and activists say depicting China as an existential threat fuels hatred at home while doing little to contain Beijing’s ambitions
- More than 60 activist groups are stepping up their criticisms as the Senate pushes through this week a package of anti-China bills
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Gavin Bade on politico.com on May 19, 2021.
More than 60 activist groups and at least four prominent lawmakers are stepping up their criticisms as the Senate pushes through this week a package of anti-China bills that enjoy backing from members of both parties and the White House. Any coordinated opposition could gum up the ongoing amendment process on the Senate floor, or throw a wrench in future efforts to reconcile the measure with the House’s slower moving initiatives against China.
The resistance comes as Biden positions China as America’s chief global adversary, casting the 21st century as a battle between US-led democracies and autocratic governments led by China. Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle agree that the threat justifies a new package of new bipartisan bills that would spend hundreds of billions of dollars to confront China, the world’s second-largest economy.
Progressive lawmakers and activists are dismayed by what they see as bipartisan unity to repeat American foreign policy mistakes. Rushing to position China as an existential threat to the US would commit the country to decades of wasteful spending and military engagements, they say, while fuelling hatred at home similar to the Islamophobia seen after September 11.