US House clears a largely bipartisan package of bills to counter China

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House this week approved a sweeping package of bills to counter China’s influence, shoring up a largely bipartisan push to ensure America comes out ahead in the competition between the world’s superpowers.

The efforts would ban Chinese-made drones, limit China-linked biotech companies from access to the U.S. market, strengthen sanctions and deepen ties with Asian countries. The campaign to target Beijing this week shows how curbing China’s power has emerged as a rare issue of political consensus.

But some measures did pass along party lines, with Republicans arguing the need to protect national security when it comes to everything from education to farmland, and Democrats raising concerns about discrimination. The advocacy group Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote also warned about “overly broad anti-China rhetoric.”

One contentious measure seeks to revive a Trump-era program to root out Beijing’s spying in American universities and institutes. The bills all still need Senate approval.

“The House sent a powerful, bipartisan message to the Chinese Communist Party: the United States will not sit idly by,” said Republican Rep. John Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

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