Ted Cruz Issues Stark Warning About 'World Socialism' Threat Posed By China

Forbes Breaking News

At today's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) discussed the malign influence of China in Africa.

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon.

00:01The hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations, Africa and Global Health Policy Subcommittee

00:06will come to order.

00:07Welcome to our witness.

00:09Thank you all for joining us today.

00:12There is a consensus emerging, first, that for decades the United States has been disregarding

00:20acute national security challenges and critical opportunities in Africa.

00:26And second, that for the safety and prosperity of Americans, we can no longer afford to do

00:32so.

00:33I believe that consensus is both correct and long overdue.

00:38The emphasis and attention that President Trump has already given to Africa is a demonstration

00:43of that consensus.

00:45Those challenges and opportunities are vast.

00:49They include threats posed by China, Russia, and Iran, as well as an array of regional crises.

00:59There are also wide-ranging options for cooperation on everything from critical minerals to technology

01:07and even space development.

01:09I intend for this subcommittee to serve as a primary forum for shaping and articulating

01:14the policies of the United States towards Africa on these issues and beyond.

01:20The Constitution envisions foreign policy as a tug-of-war between Congress and the executive.

01:27I have no doubt that over the coming months and years, there will be many instances in which

01:31members of this committee have vigorous and robust debates with administration officials

01:36testifying before us.

01:39Such debates are a necessary part of formulating policy.

01:43However, I also have every expectation that there will be significant areas of bipartisan

01:49convergence and agreement.

01:52Many of the challenges we face are so fundamental and have been neglected for so long that what

01:58needs to be done is relatively clear.

02:02We have an enormous amount of work to do.

02:05These hearings will allow for the formulation of U.S. policies.

02:09And will more fundamentally demonstrate that the United States has a policy towards Africa.

02:16Today's hearing is on China's malign influence in Africa.

02:21China represents the most significant, long-term, strategic threat to the United States.

02:28I believe that fundamentally, China is a global threat that must be confronted globally, region

02:37by region.

02:39Among those regions, pressingly, is Africa.

02:43China is exercising its military, economic, and political power and advancing its authoritarian

02:49agenda, all while undermining the sovereignty of African nations and the strategic interest

02:55of the United States.

02:57Politically and diplomatically, China is leveraging its growing influence to marginalize U.S. allies,

03:06most notably Taiwan.

03:08The Chinese Communist Party is pouring billions into its Belt and Road Initiative, trapping African

03:14countries in unsustainable debt, and using these arrangements to block American interests.

03:22The primary reason why China is investing so heavily in Africa is critical minerals.

03:28China already dominates critical mineral global supply chains, and China is aggressively locking

03:35up control over these resources across Africa.

03:39That leaves the United States vulnerable to being cut off.

03:45Xi Jinping talks about, quote, world socialism, and declares that, quote, realizing communism has

03:54been the party's supreme ideal and ultimate objective.

04:00The CCP is building a military capable of global power projection and creating regional economic

04:07blocs that exclude the United States because they intend to project power globally at the expense

04:14of core American national security interests.

04:19Countering Chinese malign influence in Africa requires us to reshape the paradigm of U.S.-Africa

04:26policy.

04:28For decades, U.S.-Africa policy has been synonymous with aid and development.

04:35Today we are changing that paradigm.

04:38Today and into the future, U.S.-Africa policy will revolve around investment-led,

04:44commercial diplomacy.

04:47To counter China, we need to partner with our allies and friends in Africa to promote,

04:53expand, and grow trade and investment relationships.

04:58To be an alternative to China, we have to create real alternatives to China.

05:04This is what we will discuss today.

05:06I want to thank Ambassador Fitrell for joining us today, and I look forward to hearing your testimony

05:11and insights into this critical issue.

05:13I'm

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