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US-China relations
ChinaDiplomacy

Former US national security officials warn Congress of pervasive Chinese threats

  • The Senate Intelligence Committee holds rare public hearing featuring discussions about the influence Beijing has gained over multiple sectors of US society
  • ‘The US private sector and academia have become the geopolitical battle space for China,’ ex-counter-intelligence leader says

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Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, speaking at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Wednesday. Photo: via YouTube
Jacob Fromerin Washington

Former US national security advisers warned lawmakers on Wednesday that American investors, businesses and graduate schools must do more to protect the US against the Chinese government’s pervasive influence operations.

“The United States and other free societies have belatedly woken up to this contest, and there‘s a welcomed spirit of bipartisanship that’s emerged on Capitol Hill,” said Matt Pottinger, who served as deputy national security adviser under president Donald Trump.

“But even with this new consensus, we’ve failed to adequately appreciate one of the most threatening elements of Chinese strategy – and that’s the way that it seeks to influence and coerce Americans, including political, business and scientific leaders, in the service of Beijing’s ambitions.”

The rare public hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee featured two hours of discussions between senators and former officials about just how much influence the Chinese government has managed to gain over certain sectors of US society.

They issued warnings about Beijing-backed social media campaigns seeking to undermine trust in American Covid-19 vaccines; US index funds that have been pouring money into Chinese corporations without proper assessment of the risks; and the intense political pressures from the Chinese government forced onto many Chinese students studying in the United States.
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