Rep. Cline to Join House Select Committee on CCP

Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) speaks during a press conference with other Republican Senators and Representatives, demanding a trial of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas following delivery of articles of impeachment to the Senate, Washington on April 16, 2024. Allison Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Virginia Republican Ben Cline will join a House panel that assesses the national security, economic, and technological threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and provides policy accommodations.

Mr. Cline expressed gratitude to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in a June 5 statement for appointing him to the Select Committee on the CCP, a bipartisan panel set up in January 2023 amid growing concerns over the communist regime’s military might and unfair trade policy.

Mr. Cline said he looks forward to working with his colleagues to “counter the multifaceted threats” presented by the CCP.

“China is an existential threat to America and its allies,” Mr. Cline said in the statement. “Now more than ever, we must respond with tough policies that tactically confront the CCP at home and abroad and safeguard our nation’s interests.”

Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), who assumed the committee’s leadership role in April, praised Mr. Cline’s expertise in the area and expressed confidence that he will thrive in this position.

“Congressman Cline has years of experience on the Judiciary and Appropriations committees, and he has been clear-eyed and vocal on the national security threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party,” Mr. Moolenaar said in a June 5 statement. “I look forward to working with him on this important issue.”

Mr. Cline currently sits on the House Judiciary Committee and chairs its Responsiveness and Accountability Subcommittee. He’s also a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Cline has rebuked the systematic theft of U.S. intellectual property by the CCP, which resulted in an estimated annual loss of $600 billion, equating to $6,000 for every family.

“When it comes to intellectual property, the Chinese Communist Party has been eating our lunch for many years across both parties’ administrations,” the congressman said during a March hearing held by the judiciary committee.

“I think it needs to be changed to, ‘They’ve been stealing our lunch money and parading in front of us.’”

Preventing the CCP from stealing U.S. technology is also on Mr. Moolenaar’s agenda for the panel. In addition, Mr. Moolenaar plans to have the committee focus on reducing U.S. dependence on Beijing in supply chains, counteract CCP proxies from harassing people on U.S. soil, and deter the CCP’s military aggression toward Taiwan.

The United States has stepped up military assistance to Taiwan amid mounting concerns that the rapid military buildup by the CCP could signal preparations for an invasion of the self-governing island.

Tensions flared last month as the CCP staged large-scale military exercises in the sea and air spaces around Taiwan, a democratic-governed island that saw its new president, Lai Ching-te, sworn in on May 20. During the two-day drills, the People’s Liberation Army sent 111 military aircraft and 46 naval vessels to the island, according to the defense ministry in Taipei.

An outdoor screen shows news coverage of China's military drills around Taiwan, in Beijing on May 23, 2024. Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images

While the House Select Committee on the CCP has no legislative power, it has focused on conducting investigations and making policy recommendations in its first year of establishment.

The committee’s Taiwan policy recommendations had been included in the 2024 annual defense act, including increased congressional oversight of weapons sales to the island to reduce the backlog. A foreign aid package for Taiwan included more than $3 billion for purchasing advanced U.S. weapons.

The TikTok divest-or-ban bill introduced by the panel under then-Chair Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) was overwhelmingly approved in the House in mid-March, and on April 20, an amended version extended the divestiture deadline from six to 12 months. President Joe Biden signed it into law on April 24 after the Senate passed it as a part of the foreign aid package.

Terri Wu contributed to this report.