Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi appointed Ranking Member of House China Committee

Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has been made Ranking Member of a newly created House committee on China that will look into various aspects of Chinese behaviour, its threat being posed to the US and the world.

US House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Wednesday (1) announced the appointment of Krishnamoorthi as Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the US and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Another Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has also been made a member of this new committee, formed in the 118th Congress by Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for the specific purpose of investigating and developing policy to address the US’ economic, technological and security competition with the Chinese Communist Party.

Krishnamoorthi, 49, is the four-term Congressman representing the eight Congressional districts of Illinois, while Ro Khanna, 46, is the four-term lawmaker representing the 17th Congressional district of California.

“I am grateful to Leader Jeffries for appointing me to serve as Ranking Member on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party,” said Krishnamoorthi.

“The Chinese Communist Party poses serious economic and security threats to the United States and to democracy and prosperity across the globe, illustrated by its threats against Taiwan’s democracy, its weaponisation of TikTok, and its theft of hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American intellectual property,” he said.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues in both parties on this committee to counteract the CCP’s escalating aggression and ensure that our nation is prepared to overcome the economic and security challenges that the CCP presents to our country,” Krishnamoorthi said.

He said it was important to protect the interests of the American people.

“That said, at a time when anti-Asian hate and violence are on the rise, it’s 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,” Krishnamoorthi said.

“Chairman Gallagher has repeatedly demonstrated his singular focus on the committee’s critical undertaking of readying the United States for all the challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party, and I look forward to working with him and our colleagues from both parties in meeting that responsibility on behalf of all Americans,” he said.

Krishnamoorthi is also a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He is also the lead Democrat on the Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act (ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act), which protects Americans by blocking and prohibiting all transactions from any social media company in, or under the influence of, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and several other foreign adversaries.

In the 117th Congress, he led bipartisan legislation that was signed into law, called the Gathering and Reporting Assessments Yielding Zero Overlooked Nefarious Efforts (GRAY ZONE) Act, which requires the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to produce a National Intelligence Estimate on different aspects of gray zone activities -- actions that fall between ordinary statecraft and open warfare -- that the PRC employs.

Krishnamoorthi was also the lead Democrat on the bipartisan Transparency for Malign Chinese Investments in Global Port Infrastructure Act, which requires the DNI to study and report to Congress information related to Chinese global investments in port infrastructure.

(PTI)