First on CNN: Former Trump national security advisers among witnesses testifying at House hearing on China

The Home choose committee on China will characteristic 4 high-profile witnesses throughout its first listening to Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, together with former President Donald Trump’s nationwide safety adviser, H.R. McMaster, and prime China knowledgeable and former deputy nationwide safety adviser, Matthew Pottinger, sources aware of the listening to instructed CNN.

That is the primary primetime listening to that any GOP-led committee has held since Republicans took over the Home majority in January. The panel’s prime Republican, Chairman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, is hoping to make a splash together with his witness record, which is aimed toward proving his panel’s dedication to main a critical, bipartisan investigation that would lead to substantial legislative motion, the sources mentioned.

Different witnesses embrace Tong Yi, former secretary to one in every of China’s main dissidents and present human rights activist, Wei Jingsheng, and Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing.

The witnesses will assist the committee lay out what they view are the particular threats China poses as a world competitor, in addition to the panel’s prime priorities on the best way to counter Beijing’s aggression.

McMaster and Pottinger are vital witnesses for the committee to showcase. They’re extensively revered on either side of the aisle and performed key roles in how the Trump administration formulated and carried out its agenda towards China.

Pottinger, specifically, labored for Trump from the beginning of his administration till resigning within the instant aftermath of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. He testified publicly final 12 months earlier than the Home choose committee on the January 6 assault, incomes him a nod of approval from the left.

“Our nationwide safety was harmed differently by the sixth of January and that’s, I feel it emboldened our enemies by serving to give them ammunition to feed a story that our system of presidency doesn’t work, that the USA is in decline,” Pottinger mentioned on the listening to. “China, the Putin regime in Russia, Tehran, they’re keen on pushing these sorts of narratives – and by the best way, they’re incorrect.”

In the meantime, Tong might be an important witness who can converse personally to one of many committee’s prime priorities – highlighting China’s human rights abuses and why the US should do extra to curb its international affect. Tong was arrested and imprisoned for her involvement with Jingsheng and the democracy motion in 1993, and was later launched in 1996 earlier than going into exile within the US.

Paul is predicted to stipulate the reasoning for lowering Beijing’s position within the US financial system and stopping American corporations from ending up within the palms of Chinese language state-owned companies and buyers. He’s additionally been a number one voice on rising home manufacturing, and might converse to why the panel believes the US should cease China’s leverage at each angle.

Tuesday’s listening to is the committee’s first take a look at to showcase what the panel is getting down to do: main critical investigations in a bipartisan method that may get the backing of the vast majority of the general public.

Each Gallagher and Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the committee’s highest rating Democrat, have publicly touted the panel’s efforts to stay bipartisan in tone and apply, and each have pointed to the forms of members on the panel as proof that their work might be a departure from the extremely politicized investigations different prime committees are conducting.

“We’re not going to show this right into a partisan, bomb-throwing committee,” Gallagher not too long ago instructed CNN. “Now, there could also be significant disagreement on the problems. There are many areas the place Democrats and Republicans disagree on China, however general, I feel everybody’s attempting to row in the identical path.”

That dedication to bipartisanship, nevertheless, was not too long ago examined by the controversial strategy the Biden administration took in dealing with the Chinese language spy balloon that not too long ago flew over the US. How the committee addresses that strategy might be a key signal of whether or not they can honor their vow to stay civil and work collectively.

McMaster and Pottinger will doubtless take questions on Tuesday about what the Trump administration knew concerning the transiting of three suspected Chinese language spy balloons over the continental US throughout Trump’s time in workplace. Committee aides instructed CNN to observe the road of questioning from completely different members as an indication of whether or not the panel can stay unified on the general public stage.

Whereas Tuesday’s listening to is predicted to largely give attention to China’s human rights abuses, one of the crucial urgent points the committee will finally delve into is how the US ought to defend Taiwan in opposition to rising Chinese language aggression within the area.

The listening to comes after a congressional delegation, led by choose committee member Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, traveled to Taiwan the place they met with prime officers to debate the threats posed by China.

Khanna labored extraordinarily arduous to make sure that this journey was not seen as overly provocative to China, specializing in the financial relationship and publicly stating his curiosity in visiting China as effectively, in keeping with an aide, who famous that it was not cancelled within the wake of the Chinese language spy balloon incident as a result of he believed it might ship the incorrect message.

The congressman met with Morris Chang, the founding father of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Firm, who, in keeping with the aide, sometimes doesn’t meet with delegations, however wished to fulfill with Khanna due to his Silicon Valley ties and the position as a co-author of the CHIPS and Science Act.

Addressing challenges posed by China’s position within the semiconductor provide chain is a prime precedence for the China choose committee and has bipartisan assist, in keeping with sources aware of the matter.

Khanna instructed CNN in a cellphone interview Wednesday that he hopes the committee could have the chance to listen to instantly from prime officers like CIA Director Invoice Burns and talk about methods for avoiding battle with China at a time of doubtless rising tensions.

“The committee is working in a method that’s in step with American international coverage,” he mentioned, pointing to the work of former Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter that has “stood the take a look at of time for nearly 50 years and averted battle within the straights.”

“It will behoove us to know the rationale behind that coverage, the fragile steadiness the US has managed to strike,” Khanna added, noting it might be useful for the panel to handle these subjects, together with the administration’s coverage associated to Taiwan, with Burns and Secretary of State Antony Blinken specifically.

Senior US nationwide safety officers, together with Burns, have more and more warned that the Chinese language navy has been ordered by President Xi Jinping to organize for a possible invasion of Taiwan – a transfer that might dramatically escalate tensions and enhance the chance of battle with the US.

“We clearly see indications of Xi instructing his navy to be prepared” for an invasion later on this decade, Burns mentioned on the Munich Safety Convention, referring to Taiwan.

Whereas “that doesn’t imply that an invasion goes to happen,” it underscores how the “dangers enhance the farther you get into this decade and past,” he added.