House Speaker Johnson signals 'aggressive' GOP plans for China
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Speaker Johnson expressed confidence that President-elect Donald Trump would adopt a similarly assertive stance on China.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., speaks before President-elect Donald Trump arrives at a meeting of the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP)
US House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Tuesday that the Republican Party plans to adopt an aggressive approach toward China in the upcoming Congress, prioritizing legislation and measures to address concerns over Beijing's influence and actions.
The announcement comes as global observers raise fears of a significant shift in US foreign policy after election results confirmed Donald Trump's return to the presidency.
"I think we have to be very aggressive on China," Johnson told reporters following a Republican Conference Meeting.
"You're going to have a very aggressive approach to this in the new Congress. Republicans are very serious about this, very sober-minded. We have lots of legislation, lots of measures that we'd like to pursue."
Johnson also expressed confidence that President-elect Donald Trump would adopt a similarly assertive stance on China.
Read more: Trump's new term targets Iran, backs 'Israel', confronts China head-on
US-China Tensions
The Republican Party has long criticized China over issues including trade imbalances, alleged intellectual property theft, and its growing global influence, signaling that US-China relations under Trump’s administration may grow more contentious.
China, on the other hand, has shown a more measured and conciliatory approach, with a particular focus on fostering cooperation, dialogue, and effective management of differences to ensure stable and healthy relations with the US.
In a first message to Trump aired on November 7, Xi remarked that "history has shown that China and the United States benefit from cooperation and suffer from confrontation," according to state broadcaster CCTV.
"A stable, healthy, and sustainable China-US relationship is in the common interest of both countries and is in line with the expectations of the international community," Xi stated, calling for enhanced dialogue, communication, and effective management of differences between the two countries.
On Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a meeting with outgoing US President Joe Biden in Lima, indicated Beijing's readiness to work with the Trump administration.
According to the White House press pool, Xi stressed the importance of US-China cooperation amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.
