Ed Markey

And do you agree with that, Mr. Denmark?

So from your perspective--to get your comment as well, Mr. Denmark--Dr. Mastro, do you believe that we should begin to have arms control negotiations with the Chinese?

You are saying that it reduces the hair-trigger relationship between the United States and China with regard to its nuclear arsenal...

Now I would like to turn to nuclear weapons in China.

I think it would be irresponsible on the part of China to introduce nuclear materials, fissile materials, hazardous materials into the South China Sea.

So how does their presence there alter our military calculations in that region?

I would just mention on the gray zone side that China can engage in gray zone activities only because the United States allows it to.

We need a security benefits-plus type of strategy in which we think also about the economic benefits.

We are leading a bipartisan effort...called the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act, or ARIA.

I am pleased that both the administration and Congress are now recognizing this reality and taking steps to rebuild our military.

Countering China's less than peaceful rise represents a grave challenge for the United States' national security.

I think it is something that hopefully can bring our committee and the Congress together and backing before the end of the year.

China's Belt and Road Initiative may further coerce its neighbors through loans that they cannot repay.

What matters is that down the road countries or companies are going to be self-deterred from standing up to China.

The idea that they can somehow buy their way out of these violations sends a really disturbing signal.

President Trump says he wants to be tough on China, but then he tweets out, Commerce Department should find a way to give ZTE, quote, a way to get back into business fast.

I do not think they are going to be more or less cooperative on North Korea as a result of U.S. trade policy.

I think what it teaches us, Senator, is that China is going to use its economic clout to try to achieve its geopolitical aims.

They may be a small part of a broader economic policy, but they should not be the central tool of our economic approach to China.

We need the Chinese for cooperation on many national security issues.

Instead of imposing tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum that actually hurts many sectors of our economy, that instead the President should have been focusing on China right from the very beginning.

I do not agree with all the ways that the Trump administration is going about dealing with this problem, but I do think they should be commended for highlighting it, and business as usual was not going to work.

The goal is not to try to make people choose between friends but to have multiple friends to have in a system that actually abides by international norms and rules of the road that we all agree to.

This blatant coercion should concern us all.

The Chinese Government has used this economic coercion against our allies and partners undermining U.S. foreign policy.