Democrat Lawmaker Calls for Action to Back Up Hawkish China Rhetoric: Can’t Just Be ‘Cranky’

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) speaks during a press conference in Fredericksburg, Va., on Nov. 3, 2022. Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) called for action to back up hawkish rhetoric on China from members of Congress, saying the legislative body can’t just be “cranky” about the geopolitical threat.

During an April 17 event at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based liberal think tank, Spanberger gave an example of how China presents a challenge to the United States.

She recalled her April 11 Farm Bill summit in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, which she represents, at which she spoke with a farmer who lamented that a large amount of his product goes to China.

According to the congresswoman, the farmer said: “On TV, everyone’s looking at all these challenges we face with China. So what are we doing to make sure that we have other markets ... what’s happening to make sure that we’re expanding beyond China being such a primary buyer of the product I grow?”

Spanberger said the diversification of consumers is key.

She went on to say that the United States “should take a strong stance as it relates to China” and that “we should recognize that China is investing in, expanding in various places throughout the world.”

The lawmaker cited China’s investments in Africa and Central and South America.

“And, at times, it seems like some policymakers want to talk about those things and say, ‘That’s a problem,’ ‘That’s a problem,’ ‘That’s a problem,’” she said.

“Well, what are we doing in terms of our aid dollars, in terms of our economic investments, in terms of through the Foreign Commercial Office, through various different departments—State, Commerce ... helping other American companies either diversify where they make investments or, importantly, where American products are going?”

Spanberger went on to say that Congress needs to come up with a plan of action to respond to China’s competitiveness and that decrying the threat is insufficient.

“And within the construct of what we’re working on Capitol Hill, if we are going to say we have this challenging level of [competitiveness] with China, then we should be thinking of ‘and then we do X,’” she said.

“It can’t just be ‘and therefore we’re cranky’ about China, right? It has to be ‘and therefore we do X.’”

As an example of the China challenge, Spanberger cited supply chain issues such as the United States’ trouble acquiring personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic “because some of them are almost exclusively sourced to China.”

She touted domestic production, including in her district, in response to the virus.

Spanberger cited prescription drug sourcing as another area in which China dominates the marketplace.

At the end of the day, the pandemic revealed the need for the United States to diversify its supply chains, according to the congresswoman.