Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi Advocates for People, Production, and Partnerships to Win Economic Competition with CCP

May 18, 2023
Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC – Last night, the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the CCP held its third hearing, focused on the economic and innovation competition between the two countries. The opening statement from Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) can be found below. Video of the Ranking Member’s opening statement can be found here, and of his question line can be found here.  

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Thank you, Mr. Chairman, witnesses, and fellow Committee members.

Tonight, we’re getting right to the heart of our strategic competition with the CCP: who will be the economic and innovation leader the 21st Century: America or the CCP?

 In 1978, when the PRC began to open its economy, America produced four times more steel than the PRC. Now, the PRC produces twelve times more steel than America. In 1978, America produced 36 times more cars than the PRC. Now, the PRC is the world’s largest car maker. In 1978, America was the world’s leading economy while the PRC was ranked tenth. Now, we remain the world’s biggest economy, but the PRC has the world’s second largest economy, and aims to be number one.

If the trajectory of the PRC’s growth is not a wakeup call, let me give you one more statistic: the PRC now leads in 37 of 44 technologies that are considered important for the future of our world. This includes 5G, nanoscale manufacturing, and drone technology.

Let’s be clear: the CCP is catching up economically, and they want to move ahead of us. As Chairman Xi Jinping has said, the CCP seeks to “lead the world in terms of comprehensive national power and international influence.”

If we want to level the playing field for the American people and maintain our place as the global economic leader for the rest of the 21st Century, we need to protect ourselves from unfair competitive and trade practices by the CCP. At the same time, we must up our game and enhance our competitiveness.

Tonight, we’re going to hear from three impressive witnesses about how America can regain momentum and retake the lead in so many of the fields important to leading the economy of the 21st century.

As we think about how to put America on track to win this competition with the CCP, I want you to think of three P’s: people, production, and partnerships

  1. First, People: America’s biggest advantage has always been its people. Whether we were born here or, like my family, came here from distant shores seeking a shot at the American Dream, the American people have always been our biggest competitive advantage. Making sure our people are better prepared to lead and innovate will be critical, and attracting the best and brightest from around the world will ensure that we stay ahead. Providing people-focused solutions will keep America number one.
  2. The second P is production. We’ve seen over the past few years the impact that supply chains abroad can have on our working families here at home. Hardening our supply chains by producing more here in the U.S. will ensure that our economic future is not left to the whims of a disruptive competitor and will keep America number one.
  3. Finally, Partnerships. None of these things happen without partnerships. Partnerships with other nations. Partnerships between the public and private sector. Working together to fuel innovation on next generation technologies like AI and Quantum Computing will ensure that we set the pace for the future and again keep America number one.

Finally, I want to leave you with two more P’s: these matters need to be pressing priorities for our entire country.

 We’re going to hear a lot tonight about things that sound like science fiction, or the distant future. It may seem like we can wait to have a whole-of-government approach for leading on AI and Quantum and biotechnologies; but we cannot. The moment to act isn’t in ten years or five years or even next year; we need to act now.

That means what we discuss here tonight cannot just stop here. I say to our colleagues in the House, our friends in the Senate, and to the Administration: it’s time to get to work.

I look forward to hearing from our witnesses and members to help put us on a path to win this competition, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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