US Senate resolution names China top threat

Washington: A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced a resolution describing China as the “foremost rival and strategic competitor” of the United States and calling for deeper engagement with India and stronger Indo-Pacific alliances to counter Beijing.

The resolution, introduced by Senator Chris Coons and several Republican and Democratic lawmakers, said China has the “intent and capacity to undermine the security, economic prosperity, and strategic interests” of the US and its allies.

The measure accused China of rapidly expanding its military capabilities, including nuclear, cyber, maritime and space assets. It said Beijing was using “coercive, aggressive, and deceptive activities” in the Indo-Pacific and attempting to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait “by coercion or force”.

The resolution also said China supports US adversaries including Iran, North Korea and Russia through the sharing of military technology and materiel.

Lawmakers accused Beijing of using state-backed economic and industrial policies to weaken American competitiveness and dominate strategic sectors. The resolution cited intellectual property theft, forced technology transfers, export controls and barriers to market access.

The senators warned that China was seeking to overtake the United States in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing. They said those technologies would define “twenty-first century economic and military power”.

The resolution also linked China to the flow of precursor chemicals used to manufacture illicit fentanyl and nitazenes entering the United States.

In a section closely watched in New Delhi, the Senate called for “broadening United States engagement with India, including through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue”.

The Quad brings together India, the United States, Japan and Australia. The grouping has gained prominence amid rising tensions with China in the Indo-Pacific region.

The resolution reaffirmed US commitments to allies including Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines. It also backed stronger trilateral cooperation among Indo-Pacific partners and stressed the need to preserve peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The Senate measure called for stronger deterrence against China, tighter export controls, restrictions on investments in strategic US industries and efforts to maintain freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

It also urged the United States to “dominate the artificial intelligence and other foundational technologies sectors” compared to China and other competitors.

The resolution is non-binding but reflects growing bipartisan concern in Washington over China’s military rise, economic practices and influence in global institutions.

IANS