WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Lawmakers from both parties say they’re concerned by the steps China is taking to advance its ambitions.
“At the expense of U.S. and Democratic interests and therefore we must take a whole of government approach to meeting that threat,” Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI.) said.
Magaziner worries about the spread of Chinese propaganda to the rest of the world.
“Expand on the methods that the CCP is using to influence public opinion,” Brown University Political Science Assistant Professor Tyler Jost said.
“Domestic propaganda has worked,” Jost said. “It is easy to see how they would assume that those same types of propaganda would work on foreign audiences.”
Experts also say that to reinforce their propaganda, the Chinese gather data on anti-Asian hate in America
“Which oftentimes calls out these types of events, both broadly in terms of race and specifically on anti-Asian racial issues,” Jost said.
Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) is concerned about how the U.S. responded to the Chinese spy balloon.
“Does something like that embolden the CCP and reduce our deterrence and what do we have to do to claw that back if it does,” Pfluger asked.
“Any time an authoritarian regime does something of that nature and we don’t do anything about it, they’ll think what can I get away with next,” Mitchell Institute Senior Fellow Lt. Gen. Joseph T. Guastella Jr. said.
Lawmakers also say this could lead to more problems for Taiwan, as worries of a potential Chinese invasion grow.
