China Commission Leaders Say There Are No More China Doves in Washington
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission used to hear critiques that it was too negative about China, too focused on threats from what is now the world's second-largest economy. "There were a lot of people who thought we were outliers," said Chairman Carolyn Bartholomew, who once served as Rep. Nancy Pelosi's chief of staff, before the California Democrat became speaker of the House. "We are not outliers anymore. And that’s not because the commission’s views have changed. The entire debate has shifted."
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Bartholomew said people thought China would change its economic policies when it became a member of the World Trade Organization. Instead, she said, China changed the WTO. Vice Chairman Robin Cleveland, a former staffer for Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., agreed. "There are no longer China doves in this town," she said, though there's still a constituency that's interested in continuing to buy from or sell into China. The two women spoke on a webinar hosted by the American Security Project Jan. 21.
Cleveland said the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that 80% of its companies aren't considering relocating their operations in China. Still, she thinks there's a place for more congressional action to restrict the commercial ties between the U.S. and China, such as a mechanism to restrict outward investment flows. She said it doesn't make sense that U.S. citizens can still make investments in sanctioned companies.