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Rep. Elise Stefanik, Chairwoman
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Press Releases

STANDING UP TO COMMUNIST CHINA

Washington, September 10, 2024
  • House Foreign Affairs Committee
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) presents the greatest threat to American values and American national security in our lifetime. We must stand up to the CCP by reducing its leverage and reasserting American priorities at home and abroad. Today, House Republicans will bring two bills to the Floor combatting Communist Chinese aggression and strengthening America’s competitive advantage. One will address the national security concerns surrounding Chinese influence in our universities, and the other will protect American innovation from CCP backed IP theft. 
 
MAKE NO MISTAKE:  Since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office, their failed foreign policy of appeasement has diminished our standing on the world stage, emboldened our allies, and plunged the world into a state of constant chaos.
 
FACTS ABOUT H.R. 1516, the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act, (Courtesy of House Committee on Homeland Security Republicans): 
  • This bill prohibits DHS funds from flowing to American universities that host a Confucius Institute or maintain a relationship with a Chinese entity of concern.
  • This bill holds American universities accountable and ensures they prioritize their students’ education above partnerships with CIs or any other Chinese entities of concern.
  • This is a national security issue, so we must prevent the Chinese Government from infiltrating and influencing our universities to advance their agenda.
FACTS ABOUT H.R. 1398, the Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2024, (Courtesy of House Committee on the Judiciary Republicans):  
  • The China Initiative was a vital tool for the DOJ to prioritize investigation and prosecution of PRC-backed IP theft.
    • The China Initiative ensured a whole-of-government approach to address the theft of IP orchestrated by the PRC. Over 160 individuals and entities were indicted under the Initiative, and at least 45 have since been convicted or pled guilty. Arguably, these cases brought under the China Initiative were just the tip of the iceberg.
  • The shuttering of the China Initiative put national security at risk.   
    • Historically, about 80 percent of all economic espionage cases prosecuted by DOJ involved IP theft by the Chinese government or its instrumentalities or agents. 3 The PRC also makes extensive use of cyber- intrusions to steal U.S. IP in key industries. The industries and technologies targeted by the PRC and the sheer economic cost of the thefts have national security implications. By canceling the China Initiative, the Biden-Harris Administration exposed the U.S. to significant national security risks. 
  • Congress must ensure that the important work of the China Initiative resumes. 
    • H.R. 1398 requires the DOJ’s National Security Division to once again prioritize addressing the national security risks associated with economic espionage by the PRC. The CCP Initiative will restore DOJ’s focus on identifying and prosecuting individuals engaged in the theft of IP, hacking, and economic espionage, and protecting critical U.S. infrastructure from being compromised. By establishing the CCP Initiative in statute, the DOJ will be unable to shirk its duties to protect the national security of the United States from PRC-orchestrated IP theft.