Senate Hearing: Aligning U.S. and European Approaches to China

• •The hearing took place on June 7, 2023, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
• •The European Union has shifted its policy toward China, moving from a focus on the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment toward a strategy of 'de-risking'.
• •The subcommittee identified China's repression of the Uighur population in Xinjiang as a key factor in the policy shift.
• •The Russian invasion of Ukraine is cited as a catalyst for closer U.S.-EU alignment on China policy.
• •China is accused of using 'debt trap diplomacy' in projects like the unfinished road project in Montenegro.
• •The subcommittee discussed China's efforts to secure 5G contracts for Huawei within EU and NATO member states.
• •China implemented a trade embargo against Lithuania following the opening of a Taiwan representative office in 2021.
• •The U.S. and EU are seeking to decrease economic dependence on China following COVID-19 supply chain disruptions.

This hearing documents a formal shift in U.S. foreign policy strategy, aiming to coordinate economic and security policies with the European Union to reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains and counter specific Chinese investment practices.

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.