Attorney General William Barr warned Thursday that the Chinese Communist Party has launched an “economic blitzkrieg” to topple the United States from its position as the world superpower, presenting the threat as the most important issue of this century and calling on the free world than uniting in a “whole society approach” against him.
“How the United States responds to this challenge will have historical implications and will determine whether the United States and its liberal democratic allies will continue to shape their own destiny or whether the CCP and its autocratic tributaries will control the future,” Barr said during a speech at the Museum. Presidential Gerald R. Ford in Grand Rapids, Mich.
“The People’s Republic of China is now engaging in an economic blitzkrieg: an aggressive, orchestrated campaign by the entire government (indeed, the entire society) to take advantage of the dominant heights of the global economy and to outperform the United States as the the world’s preeminent superpower, “he continued.
By exceeding the World Trade Organization’s quotas on domestic production, “it is clear that the PRC seeks not only to join the ranks of other advanced industrial economies, but to replace them entirely.
“The secretary general of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, who has centralized power to an extent not seen since the Mao Zedong dictatorship, now speaks openly that China is approaching” center stage, “building a socialism that is superior to capitalism ‘and replacing the American dream with the’ Chinese solution ‘. “
Barr said China’s “Made in China 2025” initiative seeks to dominate high-tech industries such as robotics and information technology and electric vehicles, which “represents a real threat to America’s technological leadership.”
“’Made in China 2025′ is the latest version of the state-led mercantilist economic model of China. For American companies in the global market, free and fair competition with China has long been a fantasy. “
Barr noted that the United States helped China’s rise by granting the country favored trade status in 1980 and supporting its entry into the World Trade Organization a decade later.
China “used tariffs and quotas to pressure US companies to give up their technology and form joint ventures with Chinese companies. Regulators then discriminated against US companies, using tactics such as withholding permits. However, few companies, including Fortune 500 giants have been willing to file a formal business complaint for fear of angering Beijing, “he said.
Furthermore, Barr said that US companies have become dependent on China’s markets to provide “vital goods and services,” a situation that was emphasized during the pandemic.
Barr said the Chinese Communist Party has launched an “orchestrated” campaign to enlist the government and society to “exploit the openness of our institutions to destroy them.”
To counter Beijing’s efforts and “secure a world of freedom and prosperity for our children and grandchildren,” Barr said the free world will have to mount its own “whole society approach.”
“The United States has done that before. If we rekindle our love and devotion for our country and each other, I am confident that we, the American people, the American government, and American business together, can do so again. Our freedom depends on it, “he said.
Barr called on US corporate executives and Silicon Valley tech giants to challenge the invasion of China.
“The highest ambition of China’s rulers is not to trade with the United States. It is attacking the United States, ”he said.
Barr also warned those who believe that trade and investment will appease and liberalize China that it does not want to be an open and democratic society.
“As evidenced once again by its ruthless repression of Hong Kong, China is no closer to democracy than it was in 1989 when tanks clashed with pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square. It remains an authoritarian one-party state in which the Communist Party wields absolute power, without control of popular elections, the rule of law or an independent judiciary, “he said.
Barr said that US companies, hungry for short-term profits, have been under the influence of Beijing, “even at the expense of freedom and openness in the United States.”
“Globalization does not always point in the direction of greater freedom. A world that runs to the beat of communist China will not be hospitable to institutions that depend on free markets, free trade or the free exchange of ideas, “he said.
In retaliation for Beijing imposing a strict new national security law in Hong Kong to crack down on pro-democracy protests, President Trump signed an executive order this week imposing sanctions on Chinese officials.
It also removes Hong Kong from the special trade status it had enjoyed with the United States when it was semi-autonomous.
Trump also said he “is not interested” in meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi JInping, to draft a phase two trade deal.
The Trump administration accused China of minimizing the severity of the coronavirus after the first cases were reported in late December in Wuhan, China, and of falsely reporting the number of cases.
This week, the UK, under pressure from the US, ordered the Chinese tech giant Huawei to remove its equipment from Britain’s 5G wireless network by 2017.
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