(By Eva Fu / Compiled by Jiaxuan Xie) The U.S. Senate voted 84 to 15 on Tuesday to confirm Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo as commerce secretary. But Republican Ted Cruz (R-Texas) warned that Raimondo, in his view, would have difficulty staying tough in confronting the Communist Party.
Cruz opposed Tuesday the confirmation of Biden‘s nominee for Commerce Secretary Raimondo and argued that Raimondo has joined the ranks of “the worst elements eager to embrace the Chinese Communist Party.
Cruz said on the Senate floor, “Every action, every nomination that we’ve seen so far from the Biden Administration that involves China (the Communist Party of China) has reduced the scrutiny, reduced the sanctions, reduced the pressure (exerted) on the Communist Party of China.”
“What we’re seeing is a continued and systematic embrace (by the Biden administration) of the Chinese Communist Party, and that’s dangerous. This is dangerous for our country. It’s foolish (move).”
Raimondo on Tuesday still did not clarify whether she would uphold U.S. trade restrictions on huawei.
Previously, Raimondo had pledged at a Jan. 26 hearing to take a tough stance against China (the Chinese Communist Party) to protect U.S. telecom networks from Chinese anti-competitive practices, but she declined to say whether she would maintain the blacklist on Huawei. Pressed by Cruz, she said she would work with lawmakers, industry and allies to “make an assessment on what is best for U.S. national and economic security.”
In a post-meeting tweet, Cruz accused “Gina Raimondo’s ethics and weak stance on China (CCP), including her refusal to commit to listing Huawei as an entity, is deeply troubling.” “That’s why I voted against advancing her nomination, and I urge my colleagues to refuse to confirm her.”
Other Republican senators, including Tom Cotton (R-Texas), Ben Sasse (R-Calif.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), have sent letters to Raimondo asking her to clarify her position on listing Huawei as an entity.
Under the Trump (R) administration, the Commerce Department has placed Huawei and about 150 of its affiliates on a sanctions list for the past two years in an attempt to cut the company off from key U.S. technology and software. The Federal Communications Commission also formally designated Huawei as a national security threat last June.
“My colleagues know that nominees will never be more engaged, more transparent and more forthcoming than during the confirmation process.” Cruz said, “Governor Raimondo’s refusal to be any of them speaks volumes about how she will conduct herself if she is confirmed as secretary.”
The Biden team has created an image of being tough on China, but the details often remain elusive. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki described the U.S.-China relationship as “intensely competitive” and said a multilateral approach needs to be deployed when dealing with the Communist Party.
U.S. Trade Representative nominee Katherine Tai described the Communist Party as “a competitor, a trading partner and a sizeable player that we also need to work with to address certain global challenges.
CIA director nominee William Burns called Beijing a “formidable, authoritarian adversary,” but also pointed to areas of mutual interest, such as climate change.
In contrast, Chinese Communist Party officials have made demands on the United States on issues such as trade, Taiwan, Hong Kong and human rights as a prerequisite for “healthy” diplomatic relations.
In response, Cruz said, “While officials from both parties have mistaken Beijing for a friend, the COVID-19 Epidemic has shown the world a systematic pattern of lies, deception, and death by the Chinese Communist Party.”
Cruz said he hopes the new administration’s model of appeasing China (the CCP) “will not relieve pressure on our allies and (turn) to encourage them to move forward with Huawei and let the spy architecture build up in their countries.” Otherwise, “it will make the United States more vulnerable. It will make our allies more vulnerable. It will make the world more vulnerable.”
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