WASHINGTON—Former Vice President Mike Pence addressed The Heritage Foundation today on the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the U.S.-China relationship under the Biden administration, and critical policy steps the Biden administration must take in the coming months to confront the China challenge.
Of the threat posed by the CCP, Pence said, “The Chinese Communist Party aspires not merely to join the community of economically developed nations, but to sit atop a new global order, created in its own image. A world in which freedom is constrained, but Beijing’s power is not.”
Pence, also a Heritage distinguished visiting fellow, highlighted the Trump administration’s track record in standing up to the challenge presented by the CCP, while calling on the Biden administration to do more to combat the threat. He declared, “The Biden-Harris administration is already rolling over to China. … China senses weakness in this new administration.”
He warned that the CCP represents an even greater threat to American interests than the Soviet Union, not only because China is America’s largest trading partner, but because many American institutions—including Hollywood, corporate America, and academia—sing the CCP’s praises while condemning American values and institutions. Indeed, Pence said, “Millions of Americans are looking at corporate America and asking, ‘Are you on our side, or theirs?’”
The former vice president laid out a list of clear policy recommendations for the Biden administration, including the following:
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Demand that China come clean about the origins of the coronavirus
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Prohibit U.S. public or private of scientific laboratories in China, especially those participating in gain-of-function research
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Ensure essential pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and protective gear are manufactured in the United States
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Decouple the U.S. from China in industries that are essential to U.S. national security
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End subsidies for land owned by foreign nationals
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End Chinese investment in American critical infrastructure projects
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Delist Chinese companies that flout the rules of transparency and financing that American companies must follow
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Negotiate a new trade agreement with Taiwan, and stand with the freedom-loving people of Hong Kong
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Significantly increase the readiness of the U.S. Navy to defend our interests in the South China Sea
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Ensure the military stops wasting time on woke pursuits like critical race theory and re-focus on readiness
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Make clear that the Western Hemisphere is off-limits to China’s neo-colonialism and prohibit China from building any military bases in the hemisphere
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Immediately prohibit the issuance of H1B visas to Chinese nationals employed at U.S. technology companies
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Ban Confucius institutes on American college campuses
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Demand the 2022 Olympics be moved from Beijing unless the CCP comes clean on the coronavirus and ends its persecution of the Uighurs
“Now more than ever, our leaders must get serious about the immediate and deadly threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party,” said James Carafano, Heritage vice president for national security and foreign policy. “Vice President Pence not only clearly articulated the threat we face, but numerous concrete policy steps the Biden administration and Congress can, and should, take in defense of American interests and values. We cannot afford to go back to ‘business as usual’ on China. It's time to continue what the Trump administration started and secure our future against the Chinese Communist Party’s global advances.”
To watch the address, click here.
Pence’s remarks were part of Heritage’s annual B.C. Lee Lecture, named in honor of the late B.C. Lee, founder of the Samsung Group and member of The Heritage Foundation.
For more Heritage resources on countering the China threat:
