Asian American congressman leads Democrats on new House CCP committee

Rep. Raja Raja Krishnamoorthi will play a key role in new House committee.

Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus got what they wanted when House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries named three Asian American members, to serve on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill, will head the Democrats on the new committee. He'll be joined by Democratic Representatives Ro Khanna of Silicon Valley and Andy Kim of New Jersey.

Rep. Michelle Steel, a Korean American Republican representing parts of Orange County, California, is the only other Asian American on the committee with the responsibility investigating and developing policy to address the United States’ economic, technological, and security competition with the Chinese Communist Party.

One of the first items on the committee is the Chinese balloon flying across the United States. Although the Chinese say it is a weather balloon gone off course, US intelligence and military authorities claim that it has the capabilities of spying on "sensitive" facilities in the US.

In a show of bipartisanship, Select Committee on the CCP Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding the suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States.

“The Chinese Communist Party should not have on-demand access to American airspace. Not only is this a violation of American sovereignty, coming only days before Secretary Blinken’s trip to the PRC, but it also makes clear that the CCP’s recent diplomatic overtures do not represent a substantive change in policy. Indeed, this incident demonstrates that the CCP threat is not confined to distant shores—it is here at home and we must act to counter this threat.”

One of the reasons CAPAC urged Jeffries to appoint CAPAC members on the committee is the concern that anti-Chinese rhetoric from the committee could fan the flames of racism plaguing AANHPI communities since the Donald Trump regime.

“We cannot forget that rhetoric used around economic competition with Asian countries has resulted in the verbal and physical harassment and even murder of Asian Americans here at home," cautioned Rp. Judy Chu, CAPAC chair. "Since March 2020 and former President Trump’s sustained references to the coronavirus as the ‘China virus,’ over 11,500 hate crimes and incidents against Asian Americans have been reported."

"I know that our CAPAC Members will stand ready to call out xenophobic anti-China rhetoric that we know exacerbates anti-Asian hate and violence against our communities. I know that our CAPAC Members will stand ready to call out xenophobic anti-China rhetoric that we know exacerbates anti-Asian hate and violence against our communities."

Krishnamoorthi, who is also a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, is the lead Democrat on the Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act (ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act), which protects Americans by blocking and prohibiting all transactions from any social media company in, or under the influence of, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and several other foreign adversaries.

In the 117th Congress, the Indian American congressmember led bipartisan legislation that was signed into law, called the Gathering and Reporting Assessments Yielding Zero Overlooked Nefarious Efforts (Gray Zone) Act, which requires the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to produce a National Intelligence Estimate on different aspects of gray zone activities - actions that fall between ordinary statecraft and open warfare - that the PRC employs. Congressman Krishnamoorthi was also the lead Democrat on the bipartisan Transparency for Malign Chinese Investments in Global Port Infrastructure Act, which requires the DNI to study and report to Congress information related to Chinese global investments in port infrastructure.

"At a time when anti-Asian hate and violence are on the rise, it’s essential that this committee focuses its vital work on protecting all Americans from the threat posed by the CCP, while avoiding dangerous rhetoric that fuels the types of xenophobia that have endangered members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community,” added Krishnamoorthi.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Oakland mayor and FilAm City Council president clash over Chinatown policing

Oakland Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas felt she was blamed for lack of police in Chinatown

During a press conference last week about the recent attacks against Asian elderly in Oakland's Chinatown, Mayor Libby Schaff appeared to blame the recent increase in Chinatown crime on the defunding of the police department, when she pointed a finger at Filipino American City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas.

Bas told Oaklandside that recent cuts to OPD, which removed police officers from some parts of the city, including Chinatown, were made by Schaaf and City Administrator Ed Reiskin in December—not by her and the rest of the council.

“The mayor’s office and the city administrator unilaterally made these cuts without consulting community, without consulting labor. They made the decision to pull the community resource officers from the whole city, not just Chinatown,” Alvina Wong, Asian Pacific Environmental Network’s Campaign and Director, told Newsweek.

“Crimes against Asians have been horrific, and “anti-Blackness is on the rise because we live in a system rooted in white supremacy,” she tweeted.

Bas and Councilwoman Carroll Fife pushed back, pointing out that recent cuts to Chinatown police presence were made by the mayor’s administration, and accusing Schaaf of sowing division between Black and Asian communities, according to Oaklandside.

Bas, who represents Chinatown, told KTVU this week that many members of the Chinese and Vietnamese communities feel as though public safety isn't working for them.

"Some communities are feeling overpoliced. That's their truth," Bas said. "And others are feeling under-policed. That's their truth."

Bas said that the crimes against Asians have been horrific, and she also agreed that she has seen "anti-Blackness" on the rise "because we live in a system rooted in white supremacy."

Both communities have been victimized, said Oakland Councilmember Carroll Fife, who is Black and whose district includes downtown and West Oakland.

"And there's a whole bunch of trauma on both sides," she said. "Oakland is a tinderbox."

As tensions mount, several groups have decided to work together instead of falling into stereotypes and blame.

"The tension between the Asian and Black communities is building right now and we cannot repeat history," tweeted Michelle Kim of Oakland. "Asians - we can fight anti-Asian racism without being anti-Black or pro-police. Black folks - people condemn anti-Asian rhetoric within your own community and amplify our pain."

Two new AAPI Superior Court judges named in California

Wendy Chang, left, and Michelle Kim

ASAM NEWS

GOV. JERRY BROWN appointed 21 California Superior Court Judges Friday (May 2), including two Asian/American woman.

Named to the bench in Los Angeles County were Wendy Chang, 47, and Michelle Kim, 44.

Kim comes from the County’s Public Defender’s Office where she has served since 2003. She spent two years as a deputy public defender and since then has been an alternate public defender. 

The office works on behalf of indigent clients who cannot be handled by a public defender. Kim graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University.

Chang is a partner at Hinshaw and Culbertson in Los Angeles. She has represented businesses in a number of high profile cases which has generated the attention of the media, according to her firm’s website. She has also represented attorneys in ethics and crisis management.

Chang earned her law degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Frank J. Johnson.
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