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A Republican-led bill that would reinstate the China Initiative originally launched by then President Donald Trump passed the House Wednesday 237-180.
Lawmakers voted to advance H.R. 1398, the Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2024. The China Initiative is a Trump-era program that opponents say racially profiled innocent Chinese academics working in the United States.
“It destroyed the careers and lives of many scholars, scientists, and researchers who were wrongfully investigated and accused. Not only did the China Initiative devastate individuals and their families, but it also exacerbated an already-documented chilling effect on scholarship and imperiled our ability to retain and attract diverse talent. We strongly condemn the bill’s passage in the House and call on the Senate to reject its advancement,” a coalition of groups said in a joint statement.
Those groups include Stop AAPI Hate, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, and the Asian American Scholar Forum. Supporters say the bill is necessary to prevent the Chinese Communist Party from infiltrating research and industries in the United States.
“Efforts by the CCP to infiltrate our domestic industries and steal American trade secrets cannot go unaddressed,” Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX), who authored HR 1398 told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “The Chinese Communist Party continues to ramp up efforts to steal and copy U.S. technological advances. My bill will give federal law enforcement the tools they need to effectively combat the CCP and safeguard American industry.”
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In addition, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Committee of 100 also spoke out against the bill.
“The China Initiative was a failed program that fueled racial animosity, xenophobia, and suspicion towards the AAPI community and Chinese Americans in particular,” said the Committee of 100. “Reimplementing this program would send shockwaves of fear across the AAPI community.”
The House Wednesday also advanced H.R. 9456, The Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 by a 269-149 vote.
The bills are two of more than 20 proposals the GOP is planning to introduce this week for what it is dubbing “China Week.”
“HR 9456 is a call-back to the alien land laws of ugly parts of American history, and its dangerously broad language means that every legal immigrant and refugee from targeted countries, including China, Iran and Russia, who want to pursue an American dream of owning a farm are treated as national security threats,” said Rep Judy Chu (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
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and H.R. 9456, The Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024.