Asian caucus leader warns against encouraging xenophobia in debate on China competition bill

The leader of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus is urging fellow lawmakers to avoid relying on “fear of China” during debate on pending legislation to boost U.S. competitiveness and supply chains so as not to encourage xenophobia.

The House is expected to pass a sprawling legislative package later this week designed to encourage more domestic production of key goods and services, invest in more scientific research, and address the current shortage of semiconductor chips to make the U.S. more competitive globally in line with nations like China.

It also includes provisions to exert diplomatic pressure on China in the form of imposing sanctions for its human rights abuses against the Uyghurs and providing temporary protected status and refugee status for qualifying Hong Kong residents. 

But Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, has urged colleagues in recent days to focus their messaging “on how this legislation will help Americans and our economic security.” 

Framing it as a race against threats from China, Chu warned, risks stoking anti-Asian sentiment that has led to violence against Asian Americans. 

“We should not rely on fear of China to make our case. That will both obscure the policies in this bill while encouraging more xenophobia from those who give credence to Cold War rhetoric painting Chinese people and those perceived to be Chinese as an existential threat,” Chu wrote in the letter to colleagues, which The Hill obtained on Tuesday.

“How we speak about this moment and how we rise to meet it will unquestionably have an impact on the lives and safety of Asian Americans across the country. I urge us all to keep that in our minds as we begin to debate this important legislation,” Chu wrote.

A statement from the Biden administration on Tuesday formally endorsing the bill as it heads to the House floor notably didn’t include any mention of China.

Instead, in line with Chu’s guidance, the statement praised the bill as “aligned with the president’s vision to enhance American economic and scientific competitiveness; build a stronger, more diverse, and more inclusive innovation ecosystem; and invest in strengthening critical supply chains, our domestic industrial base, and regional economic growth and development.” 

Similarly, a statement from Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) after House Democrats unveiled the legislation last week did not mention China. 

Republicans on Tuesday questioned the strategy of avoiding any mention of China altogether during discussion of the legislation.

“It’s disgraceful the @WhiteHouse Statement of Administration Policy on the bill @SpeakerPelosi claims is a counter #China bill doesn’t even contain the word China. This is proof #COMPETES is not a serious effort to combat the generational threat posed by the CCP,” tweeted Rep. Michael McCaul (Texas), the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The Senate passed its version of the legislation last June, which was framed as an effort to make the U.S. more competitive with China. Since then, House Democrats have broadened their version of the bill to include provisions to bolster the domestic supply chain to help address the product shortages and inflation that have been at the top of voters’ minds in recent months. 

Chu previously advised fellow lawmakers on how to discuss China without using rhetoric that could encourage anti-Asian sentiment that’s led to a spike in hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a July memo, Chu and other members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus urged lawmakers to specifically target any criticism of the Chinese government to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), rather than China as a whole. 

And instead of calling COVID-19 the “Chinese virus” since it was first identified in China, they recommended using its official medical names.

Lawmakers last year enacted the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which directs the Justice Department to expedite the review of hate crimes related to the pandemic. It also requires the Justice Department and Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance aimed at raising awareness of hate crimes during the pandemic.