Trying to Outflank the GOP on China Is a Mistake

In their debate Tuesday night, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris each sought to cast their opponent as a lackey of China. Bipartisan one-upmanship pushing conflict in the world’s most important geopolitical relationships was a fitting scene to land on “China Week,” House Speaker Mike Johnson’s bid to cast a mishmash of China-related bills as a concerted effort to “win” a confrontation with China. “China poses the greatest threat to global peace,” says Johnson, so “Congress must keep our focus on countering China with every tool at our disposal.”

Nearly thirty bills aimed at extirpating China’s presence in the United States and restricting its activities abroad will have a vote this week. None of the bills under consideration would encourage a constructive relationship between the two powers or mutually beneficial connections between them.

Republicans consistently vilify Democrats as weak on China, with Johnson complaining that “Joe Biden doesn’t treat China like an enemy.” Yet, as reflected in the Trump-Harris debate, Republican leadership is confident of bipartisan support for their confrontational approach. Indeed, by Wednesday night all of the China Week bills thus far considered—over 20—had passed. Most passed on a voice vote, which means they were so uncontested that no recorded vote was taken. Of the six bills on which a vote was recorded, three gained a majority of the Democratic caucus in favor.

That allows Johnson to boast of legislative achievements for a Republican caucus that has demonstrated an unusual inability to pass legislation—even by the extremely low standards that Congress usually maintains. It also allows him to pose as a statesman presiding over bipartisan concern for national security.