Recap: US-China Competition with Congressman Krishnamoorthi

Hi Intriguer!

We sincerely thank all who joined International Intrigue last week for our webinar, US-China Competition: An Inside Look at the Next Four Years.

With exclusive insights from Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) and moderated by Intrigue’s co-founder Helen Zhang, the conversation focused on the evolving dynamics between the US-China relationship.

Over 500 people registered, ranging from State Department officials to foreign diplomats and congressional representatives. Missed it? Check out the highlights below!

Best regards,

- Team Intrigue

THE CONVERSATION 📣 

The Congressman shared his insights on a whole range of issues relating to the US-China relationship, which we’ll dive into here. 

What’s the temperature? 

• A glance at the headlines might suggest that US-China relations are at their lowest ebb. But Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., told Intrigue that the reality is far more nuanced.

• The era of ‘wolf warrior diplomacy,’ which saw Chinese diplomats keeping US (and other Western) officials at arm's length, appears to have ended. In fact, Krishnamoorthi says he’s held more conversations with Beijing’s envoys recently than in past years.

What’s happening with TikTok? 

• Congressman Krishnamoorthi, who was a co-author of the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, better known as the ‘TikTok ban’ bill, emphasised that TikTok could remain available in the US, provided it’s owned by an American company.

• To be clear, the Congressman doesn’t oppose the app itself, which in H1 2024 alone had generated north of $17bn and supports hundreds of thousands of US creators’ livelihoods.

What else is happening in US-China tech?

• The Congressman isn’t just focused on TikTok. He told Intrigue he’s closely watching the critical minerals race, or ‘GAG,’ his shorthand for ‘germanium’, ‘antimony’, and ‘gallium’, which are elements vital for semiconductor production (China has ~60% of the world’s supply of critical minerals). 

And on the economy? 

• Pointing out Beijing’s core economic risks, the Congressman singled out China’s export-driven strategy, arguing that pushing cheap products onto international markets, or ‘flooding the market,’ could result in retaliatory trade actions by affected countries.

Any bright spots? 

• Asking the Congressman if there’s room for optimism, Krishnamoorthi gave a definite yes. 

• While the US must consider the risks its exposure through data and technology channels poses a national security challenge, his conversation with Chinese officials suggests there’s now some room for frank discussions - or at least more room than in previous years.

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