Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Saks) praised President Donald Trump’s newly unveiled strategic approach to China on Thursday.
Rogers as the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee has an outsized role in policies dealing with the security and stability of the United States on the world stage.
“I am proud that President Trump has laid out this strategy to combat the Chinese Communist Party’s strategic ambitions and defend democratic interests around the world,” said Rogers Thursday.
According to the document released this week by the White House, the Trump administration has “adopted a competitive approach to the PRC, based on a clear-eyed assessment of the CCP’s intentions and actions, a reappraisal of the United States’ many strategic advantages and shortfalls, and a tolerance of greater bilateral friction.”
The PRC is the People’s Republic of China, the official name for the Chinese government. The CCP is the Chinese Communist Party, the ruling political party to which all Chinese government leaders belong.
Trump’s plan does allow for “cooperation where our interests align,” and assures the world that the “United States has a deep and abiding respect for the Chinese people.”
However, the document details that the underlying assumption of America’s last 40 years of Chinese policy — that diplomacy and economic interconnectedness would make China freer and more fair — is now regarded as thoroughly incorrect.
A variety of stronger stances with respect to supply lines in manufacturing and foreign policy stances on issues like Taiwan are detailed in the new Trump approach.
A foreign affairs columnist for the Washington Post says that the document was being drafted before the coronavirus pandemic hit, and was sped up as the virus came to dominate the global discourse.
Rogers had tough words for China amid his praise of America’s new, harsher stance.
“The Chinese Communist Party represents an existential threat to democratic values across the globe. Their totalitarian rule crushes human rights, undermines democratic institutions, and threatens our way of life,” said Rogers in a statement.
He believes the Chinese government “will continue to present a challenge that the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, and other federal agencies will combat for the foreseeable future.”
“I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address these threats to American freedom,” concluded Rogers.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
