House Democrats and Republicans unanimously condemned China for sending a spy balloon over the U.S., calling it a “brazen violation of United States sovereignty.”
The condemnation was a welcome moment of bipartisan consensus, and hopefully a sign that Congress is putting politics aside to deliver on one of Americans’ top concerns: The rise of China.
While the unanimous condemnation was a good place to start, this Congress still has plenty of work to do. The last Congress countered China with the bipartisan Chips and Science Act, which will invest more in computer chip manufacturing and advanced research in the U.S. to keep us ahead of China.
Americans are increasingly concerned about the threat from China:
- 49% of Americans said China was our greatest enemy in a 2022 Gallup poll, more than any other country. Russia was second with 32%.
- 73% of Americans predicted that China will become more powerful in 2023, according to a December 2022 Gallup poll. Only 35% said the same for the U.S. and Russia.
America’s response, by the numbers:
- 489 companies and individuals in China or its territories (Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan) are under sanctions by the U.S. American companies and individuals are prohibited from doing business with them.
- 396 entities in mainland China
- 90 Chinese entities are under sanctions for human rights abuses against the Uyghurs
- $266 billion worth of Chinese goods are under special tariffs (taxes on imports) as of 2021, which discourages doing business with China.
- 66% of all trade with China was covered by the tariffs
- $57 billion in tax revenue came from the tariffs in 2021, up from $13.5 billion in 2017 before the anti-China tariffs were implemented
