Raja Krishnamoorthi, Indian-American Congressman, Made Ranking Member Of House Panel On China

Krishnamoorthi has been appointed as a Ranking Member of a House Committee on China that will look into various aspects of Chinese behaviour, its threat being posed to the US and the world.

New Delhi: Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has been appointed as a Ranking Member of a newly created House Committee on China that will look into various aspects of Chinese behaviour, its threat being posed to the US and the world, as reported by the news agency PTI.

The new committee was formed in the 118th Congress by Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for the specific purpose of investigating and developing policy to address the United States’ economic, technological, and security competition with the Chinese Communist Party.

US House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries made the announcement on Wednesday about the appointment of Krishnamoorthi as Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Another Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has also been made a member of the committee.

Krishnamoorthi, 49, is the four-term Congressman representing the eight Congressional districts of Illinois, while Ro Khanna, 46, is the four-term lawmaker representing the 17th Congressional district of California.

“I am grateful to Leader Jeffries for appointing me to serve as Ranking Member on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party,” said Krishnamoorthi, as quoted by PTI.

“The Chinese Communist Party poses serious economic and security threats to the United States and to democracy and prosperity across the globe, illustrated by its threats against Taiwan’s democracy, its weaponisation of TikTok, and its theft of hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American intellectual property,” he said.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues in both parties on this committee to counteract the CCP’s escalating aggression and ensure that our nation is prepared to overcome the economic and security challenges that the CCP presents to our country,” Krishnamoorthi said. He said it was important to protect the interests of the American people.

“That said, at a time when anti-Asian hate and violence are on the rise, it’s essential that this committee focuses its vital work on protecting all Americans from the threat posed by the CCP while avoiding dangerous rhetoric that fuels the types of xenophobia that have endangered members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community,” PTI quoted Krishnamoorthi as saying.

“Chairman Gallagher has repeatedly demonstrated his singular focus on the committee’s critical undertaking of readying the United States for all the challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party, and I look forward to working with him and our colleagues from both parties in meeting that responsibility on behalf of all Americans,” he said. Krishnamoorthi is also a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.