The U.S. House of Representatives Special Committee on China Chairman, John Moolenaar, expressed on Wednesday (August 28th) that the incident of a Chinese spy plane entering Japanese airspace has rung alarm bells in Tokyo, making them realize the aggressive nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
On Monday, a Yun-9 reconnaissance aircraft intruded into the airspace near the Senkaku Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, staying for about 2 minutes. This was the first time a Chinese military aircraft violated Japanese airspace. Japan has conveyed to the Chinese authorities that this is “completely unacceptable.”
On Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that they are still working to understand the situation.
On Wednesday, Moolenaar, while being interviewed in Tokyo, said, “In recent years, we have seen a vastly different China (CCP), and the question is what is the best way to prevent future aggression and malicious activities.”
This week, Moolenaar led a bipartisan delegation of 6 U.S. congressmen to visit Japan. Issues of concern for the delegation included the export of precursor chemicals for Chinese fentanyl, Beijing’s impact on American businesses, etc.
In Japan, Moolenaar met with Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Kenichi Saito, responsible for overseeing Japanese technology exports, and also held meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, and other senior Japanese officials.
According to a statement from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yoko Kamikawa emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation between Japan and the United States, as well as the network of like-minded countries with Japan and the U.S. at its core.
Regarding the incident of Chinese military aircraft flying into Japanese airspace, Moolenaar stated during the interview that the key issue is what methods are most suitable for preventing future aggression and malicious behavior.
“We do not want to strengthen a military-industrial complex that could potentially be used against us,” he said.
While the delegation was visiting Japan, the Biden administration was seeking to expand restrictions on the export of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China.
Although Japan has been cooperating with the United States to restrict such technological exports, unlike Washington, Japan has avoided direct trade restrictions targeting China.
On Wednesday, U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Marco Rubio and John Moolenaar jointly issued a statement, requesting U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to add Chinese battery manufacturer CATL to the controlled entity list.
Companies listed on this list cannot obtain U.S. military contracts and face significant reputational risks.
In February of this year, the U.S. Department of Defense added more than a dozen Chinese companies to the list as part of efforts to prevent U.S. technology from benefiting China.