Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Va., says President Biden is pursuing a “weak” approach in leading the U.S. in the “race to win the future of the world” against China.
During an interview on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom” on Wednesday, Youngkin was asked what the relationship between Beijing and Washington should look like.
“We first have to identify the fact that the Chinese government’s role is to dominate the world and do it at the expense of the United States,” Youngkin said.
“We’re seeing bipartisan support for that view. But unfortunately, the Democrats tend to pull up short. When it gets difficult, then they comprise. And we have to have unity on this point.
Even Chuck Schumer said it the other day,” the governor continued. “That’s big stop number one is that this is not a friendly rivalry. This is in fact a race to win the future of the globe. And China’s trying to do it at the expense of the United States.”
Youngkin cited TikTok, a Chinese company controlled by ByteDance, against which the Biden administration has just started taking action as a result of bans in Virginia and other states.
“That’s not leading; that’s following,” Youngkin explained.
Republicans and Democrats on the House China Select Committee had their first hearing Tuesday night, discussing the threat that the Chinese Communist Party poses to the US.
The House hearing, titled “The Chinese Communist Party’s Danger to America,” aimed to address some of the issues raised by Republicans in all branches of government, including the governor of Virginia.
“What that means is, we cannot be weak. And what the Biden administration has been at every step along with way with China is weak,” he urged.
“Finally, we have to recognize that the most coercive step of the Chinese government is through economic imperialism,” the governor said.
“In the last five years, they have fundamentally shifted, and they are projecting their communist ideology through economics around the world. And we’ve got to recognize this and stand up for those most trusted industries that we know are the future of the United States.”
Youngkin discussed how America’s industries, such as semiconductors and supply chains, must be protected, and the government must “make sure we have trusted supply chains that are American owned, American dominated, or with trusted international partners.”
“It’s been clear China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, these aren’t trusted international partners, so we have to make sure they aren’t part of our supply chains,” he stated.
Youngkin’s remarks came only weeks after the Energy Department and FBI director agreed that COVID-19 likely spread after the virus leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China, and just weeks after the Biden administration opted not to fire down a Chinese surveillance balloon floating across the US.
