Rep. Jason Smith voices concerns on China

Southeast Missouri congressman Jason Smith is adding his voice to those seeking action toward China in the wake of the recent discovery of Chinese surveillance balloon spotted over U.S. territory.

Jason Smith

Jason Smith

Biden administration officials, according to CNN, will interview on Wednesday, Feb. 15, former President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton about China.

China, administration sources say, also sent spy balloons into U.S. airspace during Trump's 2017-2021 tenure in the White House.

Smith, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee — one of the lower chamber's most powerful panels — had pointed remarks about the world's No. 2 economy in a Thursday, Feb. 9, piece in The Hill, a Washington, D.C. newspaper.

"China must not be allowed to keep stealing intellectual property and innovations that are the engine of the modern economy," Smith wrote.

"The pandemic made clear that our country is too reliant on unfriendly nations like China for critical items like medical supplies. Made in America policies will support our economy and protect our national security. To enhance our energy, food, and health security, we need to re-shore supply chains while at the same time chipping away at our trade deficit by expanding access to foreign markets for American farmers and manufacturers. To ensure that our tax code is ultimately working to the benefit of America, we must examine where and why American corporations have chosen to shed their American identity in favor of their relationship with China while still expecting American taxpayers to shower them with tax benefits."

Smith added to his printed comments in an email Monday, Feb. 13, to the Southeast Missourian.

"The Chinese Communist Party is working day and night to gain the upper hand over America, whether it's sending spy balloons to monitor sensitive U.S. military installations in Missouri and across the nation, hurting our farmers by failing to live up to the purchase commitments they made during President Trump's time in office, or spying on Americans through a state-owned social media company. The CCP's actions are causing bipartisan concern, as evidenced by the strong vote to establish a China select committee in the U.S. House. As chairman of Ways and Means, one of my top priorities is looking at how we can use trade and tax policy to reduce our trade deficit with China and move our strategic supply chains out of that country. The Biden administration must lay out a clear plan for how our country can maintain our advantages — economically and militarily — over China so that our freedoms and our economic independence are never threatened by CCP aggression."

Smith, 42, represents 28 counties in southern and southeastern Missouri and took his seat in Congress 10 years ago.