Today, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik sent a letter to the White House, signed by twenty two House Republican colleagues, urging President Biden to prioritize engagement and cooperation with our allies on emerging technologies. Congresswoman Stefanik issued the following statement:
“I strongly urge President Biden to engage with our allies on emerging technology issues. China is undoubtedly the greatest military, economic, and geopolitical threat to the United States and our allies in this century, as exemplified by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) effort to lead the world in critical emerging technologies like 5G communications and artificial intelligence. The CCP’s model of state-backed capitalism and civil-military fusion allows China to make significant investments and advancements in these critical technologies. Therefore, it is critical that the United States cooperates with our allies to scale the development and deployment of these emerging technologies in order to challenge China’s goal of total global technology leadership and tech authoritarianism. Our allies support this cooperation, and this letter hereby demonstrates the willingness of congressional republicans to work with President Biden on this important issue impacting the economic and national security of the United States.”
“I commend Rep. Stefanik for her continued leadership on this issue. China is the great power competitor of this century, and they are rapidly modernizing their emerging technology to overtake their adversaries. Let’s be clear: China is no friend to the United States or our allies. A top priority of the Biden Administration must be to join with our allies to expand our emerging technologies like 5G communications and artificial intelligence and counter China’s technological influence,” said Congressman Mike Rogers, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee.
China Task Force Chairman Congressman Michael McCaul also issued the following statement: “We saw during COVID the CCP’s willingness to weaponize their stranglehold of the supply chain to punish anyone who fights to hold them accountable for their malign actions. We cannot allow them to also dominate the development and production of critical tools – especially when they are already using technology to power their genocide in Xinjiang. I strongly encourage the Biden Administration to take charge by prioritizing critical technologies, like semiconductor manufacturing, in its infrastructure plan. This includes investing in domestic manufacturing of next generation semiconductor chips as outlined by my CHIPs for America Act. I strongly urge Biden Administration to prioritize protecting emerging and critical technologies, like semiconductors, from the grasp of the CCP. 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 CCP.”
“The Chinese Communist Party has made it an explicit goal to surpass the United States in critical technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum sciences, critical mineral development, and advanced manufacturing. They’re committing extensive resources to this effort and are acquiring new knowledge and technology through both investment and theft. If China takes the lead in scientific development, there will be real consequences—to our national security, our economic competitiveness, and the ethical standards set for emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. I’ve introduced legislation to double our funding for basic research to address this threat. We’re also working on preventing research theft by China. But more must be done. Working with our allies will be crucial to maintaining scientific and technological leadership and I urge this administration to support that effort,” said House, Science, Space, and Technology Committee Ranking Member Congressman Frank Lucas.
Read the full letter here.