US Congress clash over China loyalty

Washington, June 27 (IANS) A Congressional hearing on China’s influence operations turned into a heated debate over race, immigration and national security after a Democratic lawmaker accused a witness of promoting discriminatory views towards Chinese Americans.

The sharpest exchange at the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party hearing came when Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna challenged testimony by Michael Lucci, founder and chief executive of State Armor, over past remarks on birthright citizenship involving people of Chinese origin.

Khanna questioned Lucci about a social media post suggesting that people born as US citizens in American territories but raised in China should have their citizenship reconsidered.

“I’d like to offer you an opportunity to correct the record for such a bigoted and xenophobic statement,” Khanna said. “Do you believe millions of Chinese Americans who gained citizenship through birthright should be denaturalised, or are you simply a racist?”

Lucci rejected the accusation, saying his comments referred to individuals born briefly in US territories who returned immediately to China and spent their lives there.

“I think that if they have practically zero nexus to the United States America other than they were born in a territory, I think it’s worth considering that, yes,” he said when asked whether such cases should be reviewed.

Khanna repeatedly pressed Lucci on whether the proposal would apply only to people connected to China or also to those linked to other countries.

“We’ll put out this exchange and how the American people can decide when you’re talking about eliminating birthright citizenship for Chinese Americans, whether they think you’re a racist,” Khanna said. “I think a lot of Asian Americans, and many Americans will think you are.”

Lucci denied the allegation, pointing to his own family background.

“My household has eight people. I’m the only one with no Chinese ethnicity in my entire household,” he said later in the hearing. He argued that the discussion should focus on national security policy rather than accusations of racism.

John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, told lawmakers that the challenge posed by the Chinese government was real but warned against replacing “evidence-based enforcement” with “ethnicity-based suspicion.”

He urged Congress to ensure that policies addressing espionage focused on conduct rather than ancestry and warned that broad measures could discourage scientists, researchers and students from coming to the United States.

“A targeted approach is not necessarily a softer approach,” Yang said. “Rather, it is a more effective one.”

The debate reflects a broader challenge confronting US policymakers as Washington intensifies efforts to counter Chinese espionage, technology theft and foreign influence operations.

While there is broad bipartisan agreement that China presents a major strategic challenge, lawmakers remain divided over how to strengthen national security without undermining civil rights or discouraging highly skilled immigrants who contribute to the US economy.

–IANS

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