WASHINGTON - Left unopposed, China’s threat to global norms and values jeopardises not just America’s position in the world, but risks undermining the free inquiry, free travel, free enterprise and other values that have animated decades of global stability and prosperity, Senator Mark Warner told an audience in Washington on Monday .
Also last year, the Senator supported banning the use of components from Chinese companies ZTE and Huawei in government systems. “The President’s insistence on framing this as a conflict between our two countries has resulted in little tangible gain,” Mr Warner said. “We cannot afford to frame this strategic challenge in simplistic, Cold War terms — dividing the world in two and fighting for a bigger half.”
“Another item I am working on is much-needed beneficial ownership legislation, so that the Chinese government and other bad actors cannot hide investments in anonymous shell Companies,” he said, adding that there should be “clear consequences for American companies and citizens that enable China’s bad behaviour.”
American should take the China threat as a wake-up call, he said. “As we look ahead to the technologies of the future, we need to step up our commitment to funding scientific research if we hope to compete in the decades ahead.”