James Risch Urges 'Mutually Beneficial' Relationships With Allies To Counter China, Russia, Iran

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During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Thursday, Sen. James Risch (R-ID) spoke bout how the United States needs allies to counter the influence of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript   Stay Connected Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com

Transcript

00:00Today, America will hear from the President's nominees to be U.S. ambassadors to some of

00:04our most important allies.

00:08The threats we face from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are too big for anyone to

00:12face alone.

00:13I hope our nominees would agree that we need to be mutually beneficial with our friends

00:19like Canada, Mexico, and Japan, and that they will act on day one to make this happen, and

00:26it's incredibly important.

00:28Our first nominee, Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, has served the people of Michigan in Congress

00:32for nearly two decades and is ambassador to the Netherlands in President Trump's first

00:37term.

00:38Now as ambassador to Canada, Ambassador Hoekstra, you will work with a country that is not just

00:42a neighbor, but a NATO treaty ally and major trade partner.

00:47I look forward to hearing about how you will urge our Canadian friends to increase their

00:52military spending, which they acknowledge publicly that they need to do.

00:56They need to modernize the North American Aerospace Defense Command to meet the real

01:03threats that both of our nations face.

01:06Canada must show meaningful change and fulfill its defense obligations.

01:10Canada's low contributions are not as helpful to the collective defense, NATO's collective

01:18defense, as they can or they should be.

01:21Turning to Japan, Mr. Glass, you have an opportunity to further modernize the U.S.-Japanese alliance

01:26to ensure our countries are prepared to deter the long-term threats we face from China.

01:33President Trump's summit reaffirmed U.S. commitment to Japan's security, including through our

01:37nuclear umbrella.

01:39Our alliance is rock solid.

01:41To build on this foundation, we need to prioritize the important economic and security relationships

01:46the U.S. and Japan share with South Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan.

01:51Japan is stepping up its defense capabilities.

01:53Its decision to develop counter-strike capabilities is a key example of this.

01:58But like all our allies, Japan must do more to bolster its defenses.

02:02I hope that working with the Japanese to do this will be a priority for you.

02:07You also have a chance to strengthen our trade and investment relationships with Japan.

02:11We have some trade friction with Japan in my home state, in Idaho, that's been ongoing

02:16for a long time.

02:17Its market remains closed to our fresh potatoes, and we are not seeing progress.

02:21I hope you'll work with me to resolve this once you're confirmed.

02:25Finally, I'm pleased to welcome back Ambassador Johnson, who has served the United States

02:28government for over four decades, most recently as the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador.

02:33As Ambassador to Mexico, you'll face a unique set of challenges that are critical threats

02:38to U.S. national security.

02:41All of us are seriously concerned about the role of Mexican cartels in the manufacture

02:45and trafficking of lethal narcotics like fentanyl, and of course, in illegal immigration.

02:52These criminal activities pose unprecedented and direct threats to American families.

02:57Every state in America is truly a border state.

03:00President Trump's designation of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, his enforcement

03:04of security at the border, and the vigorous enforcement of U.S. immigration laws to protect

03:10domestic security is to be thanked for and praised.

03:16Thanks to these policies, under President Trump, we are seeing historically low illegal

03:20immigration numbers for the first time in decades.

03:23Ambassador Johnson, I hope you will work with the Mexican government to further combat illegal

03:27immigration, put a stop to drug trafficking from Mexico, and promote peace and stability

03:32in the Western Hemisphere by encouraging Mexico to do more to counter China, Russia, and other

03:37malign countries.

03:38The impending review of the USMCA will provide some opportunity to do this, and I hope you'll

03:44seize it.

03:45Thank you to all of our three witnesses for being here today.

03:49If confirmed, you'll have big jobs ahead of you.

03:51I look forward to working with you to improve these important bilateral relationships as

03:55we work to make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

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