Research & Analysis

On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced that Representative John Moolenaar (R-MI) will serve as the next chair of the Select Committee on the CCP. This comes after current chair, Mike Gallagher (R-WI), announced last week that April 19 will be his last day in Congress.

Earlier this month, China held its national Two Sessions, the annual legislative meetings of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Similar to last year, the work report presented at the NPC reiterated China’s commitment to strengthening IP rights protection.

During a Wednesday House Agriculture Committee hearing, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle expressed concern about the potential dangers posed by China acquiring more US farmland. However, not all are on board with the approach some states have taken to restrict these transactions.

On March 5, during the annual Two Sessions conference, China released its government budget report, which lays out how the state intends to spend in 2024. This year’s budget is conservative, with increases to revenue and expenditure in line with previous years.

In Washington, the popular social media app TikTok is back in the spotlight after previous legislative efforts to rein it in abruptly stalled. Led by House Select Committee on the CCP Chair Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act would prohibit TikTok from being offered in app stores in the United States unless TikTok severs its relationship with ByteDance, its Chinese parent company.

On Wednesday, the House passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act by a margin of 365 to 65, sending it to the Senate. The bill, led by House Select Committee on the CCP Chair Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), would prohibit TikTok from being hosted in app stores in the United States unless the app separates from its Chinese parent company ByteDance.

“There are more than 500 million English readers or learners in China,” states Steve Potash, Cleveland native and founder of OverDrive, an Ohio-based digital content distributor for libraries and schools worldwide. “If you are a publisher that wants to sell to English-speaking readers, there are more in China than in North America.”

US exports to China create jobs in the United States. In fact, exports by US companies to Chinese buyers supported over one million jobs in the United States, according to the US-China Business Council’s 2023 Export Report. But what about imports from China? Do they create or cost American jobs?

In his State of the Union address last night, President Joe Biden highlighted his administration’s approach to industrial policy and competition with China. Early in his speech, he praised the CHIPS and Science Act for spurring increased domestic private-sector investment in semiconductors.

On March 5, Premier Li Qiang opened the National People’s Congress by delivering the annual government work report. The report was released in concert with the National Development and Reform Commission’s (NDRC) annual draft Plan for Economic and Social Development as well as the Ministry of Finance’s (MOF) draft central and local government budgets, which include further details that complement the premier’s work report.