Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul released the following statement expressing his disappointment with Secretary Blinken’s recent trip to China. Despite 11 hours of talks and the expenditure of thousands of US taxpayer dollars, Chairman McCaul highlights that the meeting yielded nothing substantial, except a mere promise of more meetings in the future.
“I am deeply concerned about the glaring failures of Secretary Blinken’s trip to Beijing. Instead of holding China accountable, Secretary Blinken has echoed Chinese Communist Party propaganda on climate change and global macroeconomic stability. It also appears the State Department is stopping export controls and sanctions as a price to meet Chinese Communist Party Leaders.
“The lack of progress on Americans detained in China, including Mark Swidan who has been arbitrarily detained for over a decade, is unacceptable. The safety and well-being of Americans should be our utmost concern, and the secretary’s inability to secure their release is deeply troubling.
“Furthermore, Secretary Blinken’s failure to address China’s aggressive actions towards Taiwan is concerning. The military escalation by the CCP poses a significant threat to regional stability, and it is vital that the U.S. responds with strength and decisiveness. Also, Blinken brushing off the recent CCP spy balloon that traversed the U.S. was ridiculous and totally dismissive of the concerns of the American people. And just as troubling – China’s recent agreement with Cuba to house a CCP military training facility was not addressed during these meetings.
“It is also disappointing that Secretary Blinken did not effectively address the issue of stopping China’s fentanyl precursors to Mexico. The illicit fentanyl precursor trafficking originating from China continues to wreak havoc in American communities, causing countless deaths and untold suffering. We must make robust efforts to address this critical issue and protect American lives.
“Additionally, the secretary’s failure to confront China’s unfair trade practices and economic coercion during his trip is troubling. The United States must take a stand and confront these practices head-on to ensure a level playing field for American businesses and workers.
“I urge the secretary to increase his efforts in future engagements with China. We must have a strong and unwavering stance on critical issues, including the protection of American citizens, the defense of Taiwan, the combatting of illicit fentanyl trade, and the promotion of fair-trade practices.”
Original source can be found here.