As tensions continue to boil between the U.S. and China, House Republicans are leading the charge in addressing The People’s Republic of China’s rising aggression through a series of hearings.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who serves as a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, warned that the U.S. is "losing the battle" with China during an appearance on "Mornings with Maria" Wednesday.
"We’re losing the battle with China. We’re losing it on fentanyl at the border. We’re losing it on intellectual property. And apparently, we’re losing it in the balloon race," he stressed.
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China's most recent offense is the spy balloon that traveled through U.S. airspace before being downed by the military.
As a result, the State Department is looking into the possibility of imposing sanctions on entities connected to China's spy balloon program as the investigation yields more information about the origins of the downed airship's surveillance components.
Before the balloon surveillance campaign, the relationship between the U.S. and China remains unstable due to the Chinese government’s engagement in unfair trade practices, such as currency manipulation, along with a campaign of intellectual property theft and economic espionage targeting U.S. companies.
"Just as we can no longer work with Russia, we have to say we can no longer work with China under the current terms of their constant and organized theft and invasion of our privacy in an attempt to actually overthrow our government," Issa explained.
As the list continues to grow regarding China’s misconduct, the U.S. remains heavily reliant on the country for trade, something the California rep. looks to change.
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Issa told FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo that the U.S. should wean itself off the "dependence on products" that didn’t need to be bought from China and bring manufacturing back to the states.
"We need to get our capital going again. We need to get back in the manufacturing business," he said.
As a solution, Rep. Issa suggested partnering up with our neighbors south of the border in an effort to strengthen U.S. manufacturing.
"I know Mexico can be a pain to work with. But the fact is, Mexico is a comparative-trusted partner, and we need to make it a success again," he explained.
The GOP lawmaker, as well as his colleagues, have been stark critics of the U.S. relationship with China, but even more vocal about the Biden administration’s hesitancy to take tough action.
"You know the problem really is that these mixed messages allow China to continue thinking they can do what they’re doing," he said.
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FOX Business’ Eric Revell contributed to this report.
