Nearly two dozen Republican lawmakers are pressing President Joe Biden to work with U.S. allies on cutting edge technologies to counter China’s advancements, Defense News reported Thursday.
GOP Reps. Mike Rogers of Alabama, Mike McCaul of Texas, and Frank Lucas of Oklahoma were among the 23 Republicans who signed the letter — led by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. — urging that Biden maximize alliances to counter “China’s vision for tech authoritarianism and protect our own economic and national security interests.”
The letter could signal a path to bipartisan cooperation, just days after Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared supportive of U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s efforts to forge a group to cooperate on 5G and vulnerable supply chains, the news outlet reported.
Western allies, under pressure from former President Donald Trump, agreed to exclude Chinese tech giant Huawei from their 5G networks because of an espionage risk. But last month, the European Union signed an investment deal with China.
The Republican lawmakers, referencing Johnson in their letter, recommended raising the issue of China’s tech authoritarianism through the G-7 and NATO ― and also creating and hosting new international groups dedicated to democratic cooperation on technology, Defense News reported.
McCaul called on Biden to prioritize investments in domestic manufacturing of next-generation semiconductor chips in his expected infrastructure plan. He’s sponsored legislation to boost funding for basic research.
“We must work with our allies to ensure that our supply chain is secure and the future of technology is safely out of the hands of the [Chinese Communist Party],” McCaul said in a statement, Defense News reported.
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