President Joe Biden‘s nominee for secretary of commerce, incumbent Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo
President Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of commerce, Gina Raimondo, told the Senate Commerce Committee’s confirmation hearing Tuesday (Jan. 26) that she will protect U.S. telecommunications networks from Chinese companies, including huawei and ZTE.
Raimondo, the current governor of Rhode Island, is considered a moderate Democrat who has also been a venture capitalist in the past.
She said, “I will use the full toolbox at my disposal to protect Americans and networks to the maximum extent possible from Chinese (Communist Party of China) interference or any kind of backdoor influence.”
Congress approved $1.9 billion in funding last December to replace ZTE and Huawei equipment in U.S. networks.
Raimondo also pledged to take “aggressive” action to address trade violations from the Chinese Communist Party. China’s (CCP) actions are anti-competitive,” she said, adding that she would use all available tools to “create a level playing field.
She told the committee that the Commerce Department must “take aggressive trade enforcement actions to combat unfair trade practices from China and other countries that undermine U.S. manufacturing.
Former President Trump‘s Commerce Department has taken a tough line on Chinese companies, and dozens of Chinese companies have been blacklisted by the Commerce Department as well as the Defense Department, including Huawei, SMIC and drone maker DJI Technology.
Asked whether the Biden Administration would keep Huawei on the blacklist, Raimondo said that if the nomination is confirmed, she would “review the policy, consult with Congress, consult with industry, consult with our allies, and make an assessment of what is best for the national and economic security of the United States.
If confirmed, Raimondo will take over the case of the Trump Administration‘s ban on Chinese apps such as TikTok (Jitterbug overseas) or WeChat. The cases are currently pending in U.S. Circuit Court after three U.S. judges blocked a ban issued by the Trump administration against the two apps.
Voice of America reports that some economists, however, expect the Biden administration will not immediately assume a confrontational posture with Beijing because the current administration will focus on dealing with the virus and recovering the economy.
Before running for political office, Raimondo was a founding employee of Village Ventures, a Bain Capital-backed investment firm, and co-founded the venture capital firm Point Judith Capital.
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