Menendez Opening Remarks at Full Committee Hearing: "Evaluating U.S.-China Policy in the Era of Strategic Competition"

Hearing

SFRC Chairman Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) today delivered the following opening statement as this morning's full Committee hearing "Evaluating U.S.-China Policy in the Era of Strategic Competition." Testifying before the Committee were Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner.

"Right now, we've got something in Congress almost unheard of in today's Washington: bipartisan consensus. I hope you will not squander it," Chairman Menendez said. "Because while you've laid out a compelling vision on paper for what we need to do, it does not seem to me you have an equally ambitious resourcing strategy to make it happen. The State Department you inherited is simply not postured for a global competition with China."

This morning's hearing coincides with the Chairman's release of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democratic Staff report entitled "Strategic Alignment: The Imperative of Resourcing the Indo-Pacific Strategy," which follows up on

Chairman Menendez's 2014 Democratic Staff report underscoring the importance of increasing diplomatic and development resources in the region. Today's report also offers a comprehensive examination of U.S. diplomatic and development agencies' investment in the Indo-Pacific region since 2014, and makes a series of recommendations to advance the Administration's capacity to meet the IPS' objectives and enhance U.S. national and economic security.

FIND A COPY OF THE CHAIRMAN'S REMARKS AS DELIVERED BELOW.
"This hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will come to order.

Before we start with the hearing, I want to welcome three new members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: Senators Duckworth, Scott, and Ricketts, who each bring valuable and varied experience.

Senator Duckworth has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to advancing U.S. national security and values through her military service and position on the Armed Services Committee. It is a pleasure to be joined by Senator Scott, who also serves as Ranking Member on the Banking Committee -- which is where he is now, of which I sit on as well -- and Senator Ricketts, who served as Governor of Nebraska. We look forward to working with all of our new colleagues on China and other critical issues the United States faces around the world. We warmly welcome them to the Committee.

Inside the barbed wire fences of China's concentration camps--guards force Uyghur detainees to sing patriotic songs praising Xi Jinping to drown out screams from torture, rape and forced sterilizations.

Show them, quote "absolutely no mercy,' Xi said in a secret speech which was leaked to The New York Times.

For many years, Chinese leaders' focus was directed inward. But that is no longer the case--as we saw with the recent spy balloon passing over the United States--a blatant violation of our sovereignty by a country that claims to be a responsible actor.

Either this was a huge mistake by some entity within the Chinese government, or it was a test of our resolve by Xi.

If it was -- he got a clear answer.

Whether it was the cancellation of the Secretary Blinken's bilateral visit to Beijing, or the debris recovered from the bottom of the Atlantic, the U.S. response should settle any question of our resolve to stand up to such brazen violations of our sovereignty.

We responded with strength, and I believe that is the way you deal with Xi.

We have to remain vigilant because Beijing is reaching beyond its borders, spreading authoritarian values by exporting high-tech surveillance tools to any dictator that wants them.

Wielding influence at international institutions like the United Nations, so Xi can block debate on critical issues and avoid scrutiny.

And China has made huge financial investments across the world-- from ports in Sri Lanka, to railroads in Kenya, to bridges, management and logistics in the Panama Canal, each adding to Xi's leverage over nations who find themselves heavily indebted to China and unable to push back on Beijing's demands.

This puts pressure on countries committed to democracy--like Lithuania--when they take steps to deepen their unofficial relationship with Taiwan.

As we think about our own posture in the world, we must recognize that China has also invested heavily in proactive diplomacy. China now has more diplomatic posts than any other country.

Chinese diplomats are on the ground, making the case for China's values, pushing for Chinese investment--and the United States isn't keeping up.

While China is pouring money into Africa--for example-- we have got a 40 percent vacancy rate at our embassy in Niger and chronic staffing shortfalls from Mali to Mauritania to Chad.

So Secretary Sherman and Dr. Ratner, let me be clear.

I am planning a robust agenda in this Congress. And China will be a big part of it.

I have had conversations with the Ranking Member to come together on comprehensive China legislation.

Today I released a detailed, forty-six page Majority Staff Committee Report, outlining what needs to happen to realize the Administration's vision for the Indo-Pacific.

I'll give you the short version: the China challenge affects every region in the world, and you're going to have to do a better job of resourcing these efforts.

That means more people in our embassies.

That means modernizing the way we do business.

That means offering an alternative to China.

And Secretary Sherman, since the buck stops with you on China at the State Department--I want to hear what you are doing to ensure that happens.

I appreciate you appearing before us today.

…

I'm looking for a full and frank assessment on what the Administration is doing well, and what it needs to do better.

I applauded the passage last year of the CHIPS Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, although I was disappointed that ultimately the legislation did not include the Senate-passed Strategic Competition Act that Ranking Member Risch and I authored with so many members of this Committee.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to reintroduce and expand upon that legislation this Congress.

These efforts to secure our supply chains and increase our domestic competitiveness are critical for American families' bottom line.

But when it comes to our global competition--right now--China has the upper hand.

I am pleased that, in contrast to the last administration, you are working to shore up our allies and partners--this is difficult and essential work.

But if we are serious about this competition with China, the State Department needs to be more ambitious.

The Biden administration needs to be more ambitious.

We here in Congress want to do more.

And right now, we've got something in Congress almost unheard of in today's Washington: bipartisan consensus.

I hope you will not squander it.

Because while you've laid out a compelling vision on paper for what we need to do, it does not seem to me you have an equally ambitious resourcing strategy to make it happen.

The State Department you inherited is simply not postured for a global competition with China.

And it's harder for us to argue for more resources or more authorities, if you are not out there arguing for more yourselves.

The United States has to step up and defend democratic values--not just with the might of our military, but with the power of our diplomatic persuasion.

And I expect you to make the Senate--and this committee in particular--a partner in this effort.

With that I'll turn to the Ranking Member for his opening remarks."

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