The Chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) in the United States House of Representatives, Kevin Hern, expressed his support for President Trump’s consistent “America First” foreign policy in a column published in the news magazine on Friday. The column also provided a clear and forceful explanation of how the United States should address issues related to China.
On February 29, Hern introduced what is known as the “Countering Communist China Act,” which has been described as the “strongest anti-CCP bill in history.”
In his article, Hern stated that the bill aims to counter the influence of the CCP in various aspects of American life, strengthen military readiness to confront CCP threats, and protect Americans from the deadly fentanyl crisis fueled by the CCP with the help of Mexican drug cartels.
If the bill is passed, it will significantly reduce trade with China in crucial national security areas such as telecom, pharmaceuticals, and military technology. It will also restrict overseas investments in Chinese tech companies, impose trade restrictions on CCP-supported military technology and surveillance companies, and expand U.S. production in drug and critical mineral supply chains.
Hern believes that the relationship between the U.S. and China is not merely competitive but confrontational. Under the leadership of CCP leader Xi Jinping, Beijing is engaged in genocidal acts against religious groups and minorities in China and has quickly turned Hong Kong into a police state. He warned that the CCP has ambitions to invade Taiwan, with over 1,700 aircraft sent to Taiwan’s airspace in 2023 alone.
This Republican lawmaker noted that Congress has a responsibility to defend America’s future, restore President Trump’s “peace through strength” foreign policy, and exert maximum pressure on the CCP.
In his column, Hern outlined how the U.S. can eliminate the erosion of American society by the CCP’s communist ideology in areas such as culture, education, politics, and even entertainment. He pointed out that fentanyl is a “weapon of mass destruction” exported by the CCP to the U.S., causing thousands of American deaths annually.
He emphasized the need to eradicate the malignant influence of the CCP in the U.S. education system, political sphere, and Hollywood.
According to a recent report, the CCP has invested nearly $18 million in the U.S. K-12 education system and established pro-CCP Confucius Institutes at major universities nationwide. This funding comes with conditions that the schools cannot teach any content critical of the CCP.
Hern mentioned that Hollywood studios are now adhering to a “self-censorship” system following communist ideology.
He pointed out CCP infiltration in U.S. politics, stating, “In the capital of the United States, the Chinese Communist Party funds think tanks to have their experts testify before congressional committees or speak in the media.”
Hern stated that all these efforts by the CCP in the U.S. are led by the CCP United Front Department established by former CCP leader Mao Zedong, which he hailed as the “magic weapon” for communism to defeat democracy.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo banned visas for known CCP United Front Department operatives.
Hern stated that this is far from sufficient, and his “Countering Communist China Act” aims to confront CCP influence campaigns, sanction so-called “united front” activities, block any CCP “united front” funding entering the U.S., require think tanks and nonprofit organizations to disclose any CCP funding, and prohibit paid lobbying for the CCP or its affiliates.
Trump has repeatedly stated that due to China earning significant sums from the U.S., during his first term, he took actions against China that had never been seen before, bringing in billions of dollars directly into the U.S. Treasury, unlike any other president who has not received even a dime from China.
Hern pointed out that in recent years, the U.S. has shipped trillions of dollars to its primary economic competitor, China.
Furthermore, according to a report released on April 18 by the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services’ Strategic Competition with China, Wall Street has used billions of dollars of U.S. retirement savings and other investments to purchase stock of index funds, with over half of the companies being blacklisted Chinese companies, many of which are CCP military enterprises.
Hern stated that completely decoupling from the Chinese economy is not very feasible, but the U.S. can “restructure” its economic relations with China.
Unfortunately, even without relying on the military, the CCP can harm American civilians. Hern mentioned, “Over 25 tons of fentanyl enter through the southern border, enough to kill every American.”
Hern emphasized, “Closing the border will greatly help prevent fentanyl deaths, but our bill will further allow Americans who have lost loved ones to sue CCP officials and freeze their assets using sanctions.”