China-focused House committee to continue in new US Congress

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By Patricia Zengerle and Michael Martina

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives’ bipartisan select committee focused on China will continue in the new Congress, the panel’s leaders said on Monday, reflecting the desire of both Republicans and Democrats to counter Beijing.

The panel, led by Republicans since its creation in 2023, aims to highlight what lawmakers see as a sweeping set of security and economic challenges posed by the United States’ top geopolitical rival.

Its renewal in the new Congress comes ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration for a second term on Jan. 20.

Trump has repeatedly voiced admiration for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, but his first term, from 2017-2021, resulted in a trade war with China that uprooted global supply chains and hurt almost every economy as inflation and borrowing costs shot up.

Trump also has nominated China hard-liners to key diplomatic and economic roles in his new administration, signaling his China policy could be even more confrontational than during his first term.

Members of the House committee from both parties have touted their close working relationships in an era of deep partisan divisions in Congress, and while the committee doesn’t have legislative powers, its individual members have introduced and promoted bills to counter threats from China, some of which have passed into law.

The committee also has used its platform to call out entities in the U.S., including companies and academic institutions, it felt were not sufficiently alert to risks posed by Beijing and Chinese companies.

The panel is led by Republican Chairman John Moolenaar and Democratic ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Michael Martina; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)