I guess there are still some issues which cross party lines. I’m actually relieved to see it because this is an issue where we really can’t afford to be divided. Today Republicans and Democrats in the House joined forces to form a new select committee on China.

House Republicans and Democrats on Tuesday joined forces and voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new committee to examine U.S. strategic competition with China, after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy declared on the House floor that neither Republicans nor Democrats trust China anymore.

“We spent decades passing policies that welcomed China into the global system,” McCarthy said. “In return, China has exported oppression, aggression and anti-Americanism. Today, the power of its military and economy are growing at the expense of freedom and democracy worldwide.”

“It didn’t start under this administration, but the current administration has clearly made it worse,” he continued. “Its policies have weakened our economy and made us more vulnerable to the threat of the CCP [Chinese Communist Party].”

“There is bipartisan consensus that the era of trusting communist China is over,” McCarthy added…

The House voted, 365-65, in favor of creating the committee, which was supported by every Republican and more than two-thirds of the House Democrat caucus.

Politico has more on the panel which will be led by Rep. Mike Gallagher.

Gallagher’s agenda for the panel includes examining ways to beef up U.S. military posture, end dependencies on China in supply chains, curtail theft of U.S. intellectual property and highlight Beijing’s authoritarian state.

“It is time to understand the urgency of the threat. It is time to reclaim our economic independence in key areas,” Gallagher said. “The select committee will expose the [Chinese Communist Party]’s coordinated whole-of-society strategy to undermine American leadership and American sovereignty while working on a bipartisan basis … to identify long-overdue, commonsense approaches to counter CCP aggression.”…

Democrats have not yet named members to the panel, but multiple lawmakers have indicated an interest in being the ranking member, including Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin.

“Obviously as a national security person and someone who’s been talking a lot about some of the economic security issues related to China, I’m certainly interested in the committee,” Slotkin said outside the House chamber ahead of the vote. “I’m interested, especially in the wake of Covid, in really having a full, holistic look at Chinese competition and our economic security, and our national security.”

One specific item on the agenda could be another push to separate TikTok from its Chinese parent company. There were several reports last year saying that engineers at China’s ByteDance effectively have access to everything on American users, though the company has denied it.

While the overall news about this bipartisan vote is good, all 65 of the holdouts were Democrats. Several of them attacked the new committee on Twitter.

We need a serious national conversation on China policy – not more xenophobia, Cold War posturing, and scapegoating from the GOP. Why would anyone trust them to lead responsibly on this important issue? I am voting NO on their push for a new Select Committee.

— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) January 10, 2023

House Republicans' new select committee on competition with China isn't about rational policy – it's another platform to elevate hateful, xenophobic rhetoric. I stand against hate in all its forms, so I voted against the creation of the committee.

— Congresswoman Nikema Williams (@RepNikema) January 10, 2023

NRO has rundown of some of the usual suspects who voted against it with one surprise.

Other progressive firebrands, such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley, voted against the legislation. In addition, Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, voted no on the resolution today.

However, it received support from at least one lawmaker who might typically be associated with the caucus’s progressive bloc: Ilhan Omar, who, in 2021, warned about U.S. policy cleaving toward a “Cold War mentality” supported the resolution today. Unlike some of the lawmakers she is frequently associated with, Omar is a staunch advocate for Uyghurs.

As several people have already pointed out, pinning this on the GOP when a majority of Democrats voted for it isn’t a very honest way to define this. Even CBS News gave Speaker McCarthy credit for a bipartisan win.

Today there was a rare sign of bi-partisanship in Congress with Republicans and Democrats voting to create a committee focused on competing with China. Newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said "the era of trusting communist China is over." pic.twitter.com/GLBeO9UaEF

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 10, 2023

This committee seems like a good idea. I hope it remains bipartisan and serious about looking into ways to counter China’s growing reach. This is something that China seems focused on every day while the US only occasionally seems to focus on a response. It would be nice to see a more united front standing up to Xi Jinping.