GOP China Task Force Releases Report Highlighting The Future of U.S. Global Competitiveness

The Republican China Task Force, chaired by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), is charged with developing legislative solutions to address the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) malign global activity. The new report offers 82 key findings and more than 400 recommendations, prioritizing recommendations that have bipartisan support and have already seen forward movement in the legislative process. Among the major components of the report are recommendations related to supply chain security, economics, energy, national security, technology, and competitiveness.

After conducted an in-depth assessment of the CCP’s ideologies and goals, the report offers a Call to Action for Americans and the world to stand up to the CCP by continuing to assert that democratic freedoms are the right of every human. The report calls on the U.S. to use its diplomatic resources to successfully administer programs that counter the CCP and advises that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) conduct a comprehensive analysis of what federal funding is being used to either benefit or counter the CCP.

When it comes to technology specifically, the report draws attention to China’s goal of reaching parity with the U.S. on making its own technological breakthroughs and leading in advanced industries by 2035. The report states that, “the U.S. cannot afford to cede leadership in critical technologies and their development to the CCP” and that “if the CCP surpasses the U.S. in critical technologies like AU or quantum it will have significant implications for the U.S. national security, economic competitiveness, and the American way of life.”

To ensure the U.S. remains the global leader in advanced R&D, the report recommends that Congress should unsure the final passage of the bipartisan National Artifical Intelligence Act of 2020, as included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). ASME also supports the passage of the National AI Act and has issued a letter of support along with other supportive stakeholders.