McLean County Times

In an interview with WICS-TV, Congressman Darin LaHood (R-IL), a member of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has raised concerns about China’s ambitions and actions that he perceives as threatening to American interests. LaHood’s focus on “exposing the malign activities of the CCP” extends to regions such as Taiwan and Ukraine, as well as espionage activities on U.S. soil.

“What we’re focused on is exposing the malign activities of the CCP in what they’re doing, whether it’s in Taiwan, whether it’s in Ukraine, whether it’s their espionage activities here in the United States,” LaHood told WICS-TV. “I don’t say this to scare people, but China has a plan to replace the United States, and they’re working at it every day. They want to replace us technologically, militarily, economically, diplomatically.”

“And so our Select Committee, in a bipartisan way is working on how do we come up with policy solutions, how do we come up with new ideas to win that strategic competition with the CCP because it’s now more important than ever? How do we bring back jobs in supply chains back to the United States? Secondly, sectors that involve national security, technology, biometrics and how do we bring those back from China? That’s another thing. And then thirdly is really looking at again, how do we win that strategic competition?” LaHood said. “I think you do that on the economic front. And so how do we partner with our like-minded allies in the region Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, partner with them as we pivot to the Indo-Pacific region militarily and from a national security standpoint? So there’s lots of issues. But I would just in conclusion say the thing the CCP fears the most is bipartisan support against them. And so that’s what we’re working at in the Congress. And you’re going to continue to see a lot more issues that come up. And I think that was highlighted by the balloon that flew across the United States several months ago. It shows the level of penetration the Chinese are trying to get in the United States, and it should be a wake-up call for us.”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) appointed LaHood to the House Select Committee on China, noting his expertise in U.S.-China relations. LaHood’s extensive background in addressing economic, technological and national security challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party aligns with the committee’s objectives in countering emerging threats and promoting bipartisan solutions, according to a press release.

The Chinese spy balloon that traversed the United States earlier this year was equipped with American-made technology for data collection, according to preliminary findings from an investigation by U.S. officials, The Wall Street Journal reported. The balloon, which was detected and intercepted by the U.S. military, carried a combination of commercially available U.S. equipment and specialized Chinese sensors, leading officials to conclude that its purpose was espionage rather than weather monitoring, causing tensions in the already complex U.S.-China relationship. Meanwhile, U.S. senators have been waiting on an explanation from the administration of President Joe Biden.

“Your administration has yet to provide the American people a full accounting of how this spy platform was allowed to traverse across sovereign U.S. territory, what the balloon carried, and what it collected during its mission,” Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) wrote to the Biden administration in June.

The 16th Congressional District includes Boone, Bureau, DeKalb, Ford, Grundy, Henry, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, Marshall, McHenry, McLean, Ogle, Peoria, Putnam, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Winnebago and Woodford Counties, the Des Moines Register reported.