In June, Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) spoke on Secretary of State Antony Blinken's diplomatic visit to China. With Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen now in Beijing, Rep. Waltz speculated what sort of concessions the Biden Administration has made to China for these visits to occur in a recent appearance on Fox Business's Mornings with Maria.
For example, the U.S. delayed several sanctions against China related to export controls and human rights abuses in manufacturing in response to the Chinese spy balloon incident in February. As a result, Rep. Waltz and Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX) seek to subpoena Yellen and others.
"Apparently, we pulled back on some of our sanctions for human rights abuses. We also pulled back some of our export controls as we tighten down on the outright theft of American [intellectual property]. So my colleague Representative McCaul, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has demanded and is talking about subpoenaing these officials to find out what concessions we made just to get a meeting, much less what sort of concessions we are making at the meetings," said Waltz.
Additionally, Waltz criticized Yellen for seemingly not raising these issues with the Chinese. Instead, the New York Times reported Yellen instead criticized Chinese hostility toward American businesses, though she justified this as a means of getting them out of China.
Waltz stated the Chinese do not see it that way, calling American business leaders "desperate" to work with China.
"The Chinese Communists see the desperation of our business leaders. I mean, remember, we just had Bill Gates, literally on bended knee, singing the Chinese Communists' praises. We just had Elon [Musk] there as well. So they see the desperation of our business sector to keep doing business on the Chinese market," Waltz continued.
Moreover, he criticized the Biden Administration's "obsession with climate" as providing leverage for China and further incentivizing American dependence.
Finally, Waltz concluded by echoing what many Florida Republicans have said, calling the Biden Administration weak against China, and President Xi Jinping knows it.
"Xi sees now is the time under this administration. He smells weakness, as do the Iranians, as did Putin, as does Kim Jong-Un, and others. And now is the time to be aggressive from their standpoint because this administration has allowed deterrence to fail," Waltz concluded.
