The US House of Representatives select committee on China is to hold its first hearing on Tuesday next week, focusing on human rights abuses in China and how to protect Taiwan, CNN reported yesterday.
The news came after US Representative Mike Gallagher, who chairs the committee, on Monday returned from a four-day visit to Taiwan.
The hearing would be attended by high-profile figures involved in the US’ rivalry with China, such as former US national security adviser H.R. McMaster and former US deputy national security adviser Matthew Pottinger, CNN cited sources familiar with the hearing as saying.
Photo courtesy of the US House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the Us and the Chinese Communist Party
The hearing would also be attended by Tong Yi (童屹), a former secretary to Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng (魏京生), and Alliance for American Manufacturing president Scott Paul, the news channel reported.
The committee is planning to focus on the Chinese government’s human rights abuses and how the US can help protect Taiwan against increasing hostility from China, it said.
The committee members are to talk about the threats posed by China to help the committee identify priorities in dealing with Beijing’s provocation, it said.
The committee would also focus on finding ways to address challenges posed by China concerning its role in the semiconductor supply chain, CNN said.
US Representative Ro Khanna, who visited Taiwan with a delegation from Sunday to Thursday, told CNN that he hopes top officials such as CIA Director Bill Burns would discuss strategies to avoid a conflict with China with the committee, it said.
Gallagher told Fox News yesterday that the US is “not moving fast enough to learn and implement the lessons from Ukraine. Foremost among them is the need to arm our friends and partners before it’s too late,” referring to a backlog of military sales to Taiwan.
After meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in Taiwan, he realized the necessity of countering China’s “cognitive warfare,” including online attacks and disinformation that are meant to undermine democracy in Taiwan and around the world, he said in a statement on Wednesday.
The most powerful weapon against cognitive warfare is the truth, he said, adding that the committee is dedicated to revealing Beijing’s aggression toward the US and other allies, and seeking strong bipartisan support to take action against China’s threats and to safeguard the interests of the US.
Additional reporting by CNA
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