From Taiwan to New York: House China Select Committee Gets Ready for Prime Time

1. After a secret trip to Taiwan the week of February 20, House Select Committee Chair Mike Gallagher (R-WI) penned an op-ed urging U.S. defense officials to clear backlogs of foreign military sales to Taiwan. Committee members Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) also traveled to Taiwan during the Congressional recess.

2. Ahead of the panel’s first hearing on February 28, the Select Committee hosted a press conference and rally outside the site of an alleged overseas Chinese police station to target “Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Transnational Repression.”

Mark your calendar – February 28. That morning, the Select Committee will hold its organizational meeting to vote on rules – including whether the panel will have the power to issue subpoenas and, if so, under what rules. That evening, the committee will hold its first hearing, using a primetime slot to draw viewership from the American public and capture the evening cable news. The committee reportedly expects to hold one hearing per month and one briefing or press event per week.

What We’re Watching—China Front and Center

1. The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled “Combatting the Generational Challenge of CCP Aggression” on February 28 at 10 a.m.

2. The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold a hearing titled “United States, China and the Fight for Global Leadership: Building a U.S National Science and Technology Strategy” on February 28 at 10 a.m.

3. The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled “Advancing National Security and Foreign Policy Through Sanctions, Export Controls, and Other Economic Tools” on February 28 at 10 a.m.

4. The House Financial Services Committee will mark-up seven China-related bills on February 28 at 10 a.m.

5. The House Select China Committee will hold a hearing titled “Where and How the U.S. Got the China Problem Wrong for So Long” on February 28 at 7 p.m.

Notable Quotables

1. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken: “The concern that we have now is, based on information we have, that [China is] considering providing lethal support [to Russia]. We’ve made very clear to them that that could cause a serious problem for us and in our relationship.”

2. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen: “We’ve also made it clear to Chinese firms and to Chinese banks that we would not tolerate trade deals that help Russia to evade sanctions.”

3. U.S. Under Secretary Wally Adeyemo: “[The U.S.] is going directly to Chinese companies and financial institutions and making clear to them that we are prepared to put sanctions in place if they were to provide material support to Russia.”

4. House China Select Committee Chair Mike Gallagher (R-WI): “We need to be moving heaven and earth to arm Taiwan to the teeth to avoid a war.”