China

Chen Guangcheng, the blind human rights activist whose case became a diplomatic crisis for the administration, has left China.

The United States is woefully unprepared to counter a “catastrophic cyber-attack” that's expected within 12 to 24 months, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said Thursday.

The House has been doing its part, Rogers said, easily passing his cybersecurity bill last month while his own committee on Thursday adopted its spending bill for fiscal 2013 by a unanimous 19-0 vote. But the White House, citing privacy concerns, has issued a veto threat against the legislation that would allow the government to inform private companies about impending cyber-attacks.

“We are today involved in a cyber war,” Rogers said in remarks at a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace event marking the launch of The Hill's Global Affairs blog. “Our challenge is … can we prepare ourselves quickly enough?”

House Republicans pressed an administration official Wednesday to take a harder line with China on opening its markets to the United States.

At a House Financial Services subcommittee hearing, multiple GOP lawmakers expressed frustration at the fact that China has not opened its markets to U.S. firms to same extent that the American market is open to them.

"It seems we take two or three steps forward, China will take one step forward, and we declare it a tie," said Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.).

"The United States are making commitments, and the Chinese are making comments, and that's a concern," added Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.), who chaired the hearing.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) took the lead in a bipartisan letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao urging him to guarantee the safety of human-rights activist Chen Guangcheng and his extended family and supporters.

The letter comes after Chen's nephew was charged with attempted murder after reportedly defending himself against Chinese authorities who'd come to beat him in his home last month. Chen called into a House hearing Tuesday for the second time this month to denounce violence against his family and supporters.

Meanwhile, the State Department said Tuesday it has completed the paperwork to get Chen and his wife and children visas under a deal with Chinese officials allowing him to come study law at New York University.

“We strongly urge your government to take all necessary measures to cease the harassment of Mr. Chen, his relatives and associates; and to guarantee their safety and security while respecting their right to travel freely within and outside China,” the lawmakers' letter reads.

“Relations between our nations have expanded considerably in recent years. However, the Chinese government must make a serious commitment to protect its citizens’ human rights in order to realize the full potential of our deeper relations and China’s economic progress.”

The letter was also signed by Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).

The full text of the letter appears below:

Two Senate Democrats unveiled a proposal on Tuesday that would make it harder for Chinese solar panel firms to qualify for tax credits that they say are giving those companies an edge over U.S. manufacturers. 

The measure, introduced by Sens. Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio), would add a domestic content requirement to solar panels sold in the United States, making it more difficult for Chinese-made solar panel firms to qualify for the 30 percent tax credit that U.S. individuals and businesses receive for purchasing and installing solar panels.

“The federal government has to take China’s stranglehold on the solar power industry very seriously, and U.S. manufacturers must have every arrow in their quiver to fight back,” Schumer said. 

"This proposal is tough, but it’s needed to successfully counter China’s unfair trade practices," he said. 

House Republicans plan to use Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng to attack President Obama's human-rights record next week.

American and Chinese defense officials tried to quell an increasingly adversarial relationship in the realm of cyberwarfare this week, in an attempt to keep U.S.-Sino tensions from boiling over. 

“What's shameful is when presidential candidates are so craven to score political points that they speak irresponsibly," he said. 

The draft resolution from Sens. Graham and Ayotte could complicate delicate negotiations with China on Chen Guangcheng’s status.

Read more...

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday praised the Obama administration for negotiating a deal allowing Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng to leave the country, but warned the saga isn't over until the human-rights activist is safely within the United States.

"Secretary [of State Hillary] Clinton and the Obama administration are to be commended for engaging the Chinese government at the highest levels to try to produce an outcome that honors the values of our nation," Pelosi said in a statement. 

"In the coming days, it is essential that the United States government take the appropriate steps to ensure that these understandings are properly implemented and that Mr. Chen and his family are safe."

The remarks break two days of silence from Pelosi, a longtime Chen supporter, who had declined to weigh in on the episode while the Obama administration was under fire from conservatives who said he'd botched it.