Patrick Leahy: “before the holidays, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, USCC, released its 2021 Report to Congress.…”

“before the holidays, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, USCC, released its 2021 Report to Congress. As is customary, the report reflects a bipartisan consensus, with unanimous support from the 11-member commission. It includes 32 recommendations to the Congress, each of which is worth serious consideration, especially in light of the announcement that Chinese President Xi Jinping will rule for at least another 5 years. This is not the first time that I have spoken about China and the importance of increasing our Nation's competitiveness. I think we all recognize that it is an issue that impacts, directly or indirectly, the lives of every American. Today, I want to call attention to China's expansionist foreign policy, particularly one section of the USCC's report that discusses Chinese investments in Latin America and the Caribbean. Chinese foreign policy has become increasingly bold, with goals that are both economic and political. China's economic goals are twofold: increasing access to raw materials while developing new markets for Chinese products. China has supported growth in parts of Latin America by financing mining, transportation, electric power generation, large scale agriculture, and other infrastructure projects. However, there is a dark side to this increased investment and trade.…”