On Jan. 18, business executives and politicians gathered at the China General Chamber of Commerce's annual gala in New York City. A thinly veiled outcropping of the Chinese Communist Party, the CGCC exists to leverage investment opportunities in return for corporate America’s advancing of a pro-Beijing outlook.
This gala underlined the challenge facing Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) as his select committee on China begins its work. Gallagher has pledged to scrutinize corporate deference to Beijing in the context of the Chinese Communist Party’s broader challenge to U.S. security.
CHINA REMINDS US WHY THE SPACE FORCE WAS CREATED
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) didn't get that memo. Saying she was "so glad to be back here," Hochul said she will be "encouraging" more Chinese investment in her state. The CGCC, she said, is an "incredible organization." As Jimmy Quinn reported, Hochul recently waved a Chinese flag at a New York City parade.
Still, Hochul's kind words didn't earn much reciprocity.
Taking to the stage, China’s No. 2 diplomat in the U.S., Xu Xueyuan, repeatedly admonished the audience to adopt "an accurate understanding" of U.S.-China relations. This is Beijing’s diplomatic code for "Do what we say, or else." Xu observed that the U.S. will ultimately "suffer more" due to high-tech decoupling. And she warned that "China will not stop just because the United States is trying to bring us down."
This was not a compromise-minded speech. Unlike U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, who used a recent speech to American businesses in China to address U.S. concerns over Chinese President Xi Jinping's policies, this New York audience didn’t seem interested in standing up for U.S. interests.
Yet Max Baucus, the former Democratic senator from Montana and ambassador to China, praised Xu’s "wonderful statement." Baucus added that the Chinese diplomat’s speech was "excellent, and I urge us all to reflect on what she said." He then advanced Beijing’s favorite claim that the U.S. is to blame for bilateral tensions. Because "members of Congress don't lead, they follow," Baucus explained that American business officials would have to "speak truth to power, to be a little bit more honest about where things are going in the United States. That is, make sure that American elected officials know that 'Hey, that's not really right. You're being way too critical of China. That's not the way it really is.' And speaking publicly about it."
Rather oddly, Baucus also observed that his wife liked to drive on Beijing sidewalks.
Baucus is a Beijing favorite for a reason. In return for presumably generous speaking fees, he deploys a folksy warmth that presents China not as America’s preeminent adversary but rather as a complicated partner. Baucus further advanced that narrative in an interview with Politico earlier this month, complaining that the new China committee might embarrass witnesses called to testify. Baucus added that the U.S. is sending "more [weapons to Taiwan] than we really should."
So Gallagher has his work cut out for him. The gala brought video salutes to the CGCC from executives of top U.S. corporations such as Boeing and FedEx, as well as retired English soccer star David Beckham. Without giving any indication that he knows what the CGCC actually is, Beckham declared, "The CGCC gala is an important event."
Perhaps so. But it’s not good for America.