TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Representative John Moolenaar pledged to counter Chinese belligerence against Taiwan in a recorded speech marking his appointment as chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Monday (April 29).
“We will work tirelessly to deter CCP military aggression against Taiwan and our allies in the Indo-Pacific,” Moolenaar said, echoing his warnings in a Fox News opinion article published the same day.
He said that economic measures alone will not dissuade China from seizing Taiwan, urging the U.S. to “expand training programs for Taiwan’s military and eliminate bottlenecks that have left Taiwan waiting years to receive the weapons it needs to defend itself.”
Moolenaar in his speech spoke of the rising threat of Chinese influence within the U.S. “The CCP is actively targeting all facets of American life, including our economy, national security, and even the privacy of our own homes,” he alleged.
He claimed that the CPP buys up U.S. farmland and uses the popular social media app TikTok to “indoctrinate” American children. He also alleged the Chinese government has set up secret police stations in the U.S.
Last April, two men were arrested and charged with conspiring to act as agents of the Chinese government and obstructing justice by destroying evidence of their correspondence with a Chinese government official, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The defendants allegedly sought to open the first overseas police station in the U.S. on behalf of the Fuzhou branch of China’s Ministry of Public Security, the DOJ said.
Moolenaar said the CPP fears “a united America,” meaning a bipartisan effort to defend the nation. “We will work to prevent the CCP from stealing our technology, co-opting businesses, and harassing people on American soil," he said.
He also said the committee will review the U.S. supply chain and find areas it can decouple from China. Under his leadership, Moolenaar promised to “continue to promote engagement and partnerships with allies around the world.”
The select committee on the CCP was established to form a plan to protect Americans and the American economy and values against China, according to its website.