Don’t let the headlines about bitter Republican infighting on Capitol Hill distract you. The raucous new majority party in the U.S. House of Representatives is united in its goal of changing the trajectory of U.S.-China relations following the recent cautious rapprochement between the nation’s leaders.
“The era of trusting communist China is over,” new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said shortly after narrowly winning the top House leadership position on the 15th round of voting on January 7. In sharply worded comments, the California Republican alleged that “China has exported oppression, aggression and anti-Americanism. Today, the power of its military and economy are growing at the expense of freedom and democracy worldwide.”
At a time when the Chinese Foreign Ministry has sent conciliatory signals to Washington, and American Secretary
