China-Bashing Week: Congress Passes 25 Anti-China Bills
Megan Russell
Last month, Congress ushered in their designated “China Week,” which saw 25 anti-China bills pass through the House. The end goal proclaimed by committee members was to “counter the influence of the Communist Party of China.” However, the week was nothing but a last ditch election effort for House leaders to garner political support by being “tough on China” and pass a series of anti-China, anti-Chinese bills, many of which are inflammatory, racist, and ill-advised.
These bills will only do one thing: perpetuate Asian American hate and lead to worsening relations with China. This is particularly dangerous at a time when we need cooperation between the US and China now more than ever. Tensions in the Asian Pacific region are at a boiling point, threatening to drag the world in a devastating war. At the same time, the effects of a warming planet are becoming starkly evident– a problem that can only be solved by the US and China working together.
But instead of working towards policies that would improve the lives of US citizens and those abroad, our politicians are doing the opposite.
H.R. 1157: “Countering the PRC Malign Influence Fund Act” quickly made its way through the Committee on Foreign Affairs with a 351 - 36 vote. The purpose? To allocate $1.6 billion dollars toward anti-China propaganda efforts around the globe. The bill is particularly vague, with assurances that it can be used for anything that “undermine(s) the national security or sovereignty of the United States” or any other country, and to essentially undermine any of China’s global economic or diplomatic efforts. Other than that, the bill has no rules or restrictions as to what might be done with the $1.6 billion dollars.
For years, the United States has condemned overseas information operations, steadily ignoring the blatant hypocrisy of its many damaging psyops, such as the Pentagon’s anti-vax operation in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill is yet another reminder that the rules only apply when they’re in US interests.
Another bill passed was H.R. 7980: “End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act of 2024” which seeks to limit China’s ability to sell EVs to US consumers. As it stands, the US government is more concerned with protecting the US auto industry and limiting China’s economic growth than it is with converting to green energy and protecting the environment from the continuous onslaught of climate change. This is particularly harrowing in the face of repeated devastating hurricanes across the southeastern coast, which will only worsen in the coming years.
H.R. 1398: “Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2024” will reestablish a China-focused unit in the national security division of the US Justice Department to “curb spying by the CCP” and “identify and prosecute individuals engaged in trade secret theft.” This bill targets “nontraditional intelligence collections” like academic institutions and other research labs. Such legislation will only perpetuate workplace bigotry by targeting individuals of Chinese descent, dividing workplaces, and making it more difficult to get hired.
Similar crackdowns on Chinese Americans have ruined careers. Over the past six years, more than 250 researchers of Asian descent have lost their job after being put under investigation for failing to disclose their work in China that overlaps with their current research. These witch hunts are based predominantly on paranoia and sinophobia, lacking in any real evidence. Only two of the 250 were ever indicted, and three convicted– evidence of the fabrication of such narratives.
For Chinese American Jane Wu, these policies cost not only her career, but also her life. Wu was a prominent neuroscientist at Northwestern University, known for her work in molecular biology and studies of neurodegenerative diseases. She took her own life in July 2024 after US investigations attempting to link her to China ruined her career, and led to the closing of her lab. Her death was felt deeply across the scientific community and marked the tragic human costs of such investigations.
The anti-China politicization of science and technology in the US has led to policies that are systematically racist. The new bill targeting Chinese American at universities will only lead to discriminatory investigations, increased Asian American hate, and the ruining of lives.
The S.687: “STRATEGIC Act” (Strengthening Trade, Regional Alliances, Technology, and Economic and Geopolitical Initiatives Concerning China Act) is a 378-page proposal aimed at competing with China by countering China’s Belt and Road Initiative and deeply military ties in the Asia Pacific region. Unfortunately, while China’s global strategy is one of diplomacy and mutual cooperation, the US maintains a militaristic take-them-down mindset. Stringently in denial of the shift to a multi-polar world, our government will do nearly anything to keep its global hegemonic status from slipping out of its fingers– even if it means economically disastrous policies and ignoring the looming existential threat that climate change poses to us all.
These bills are only a few in a bundle of extreme anti-China legislation that has sailed through the House and been assigned to various Senate committees. Senate Republicans, confident that they will hold a majority after election season, are sitting comfortably with the promise of passing these bills come 2025.
It’s clear, as our political leaders continue to charge head-first towards conflict escalation, that there is no room for cooperation with China. It is also clear, with the sudden onslaught of New McCarthyist legislation, that this anti-China dogma is fear-based– lacking in both critical thinking and humanism. Not only do these policies discriminately attack Chinese Americans, but they also escalate the New Cold War with China and increase the potential of conflict in the Asia Pacific.
It is more vital now than ever that the US and China work together. There are threats that far outweigh economic and political rivalry. We see that in the destruction of entire towns being washed away by extreme weather, global wildfires and mass displacement. We must protect our scientists and researchers, protect the AAPI community, and protect the planet. The first step is to take the billions of dollars being funneled into the Department of Defense for military buildup and disinformation campaigns, and use it in ways that are positively impactful to US citizens and to the world.
Megan Russell is CODEPINK's China is Not Our Enemy Campaign Coordinator.
She graduated from the London School of Economics with a Master’s Degree in Conflict Studies. Prior to that, she attended NYU where she studied Conflict, Culture, and International Law. Megan spent one year studying in Shanghai, and over eight years studying Chinese Mandarin. Her research focuses on the intersection between US-China affairs, peace-building, and international development.