It was ‘tough on China’ week in Congress, one of the few issues both parties agree on

From drones to drugs, House lawmakers sought to portray themselves as tough on China as they returned to work this week.

BEIJING — From drones to drugs, House lawmakers sought to portray themselves as tough on China as they returned to work this week, taking up more than two dozen measures aimed at countering Beijing’s technological, political and economic influence.

The blitz of 28 mostly Republican-led bills during “China Week” has been criticized by Democrats as a ploy to make Republicans look stronger against China, a key foreign policy issue, in the final weeks before the November election. But many of the measures passed with bipartisan support at a time when viewing the world’s second-largest economy primarily as a geopolitical rival is one of the few issues both Republicans and Democrats can agree on.

“Members now see little downside risk in adopting a tougher stance on China,” said Craig Singleton, a senior China fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank based in Washington.

China says the legislation could strain what both countries have called one of the world’s most important bilateral relationships, even as Beijing and Washington take steps to improve ties. It has vowed to take “strong and effective measures” in response.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/congress-china-week-biotech-evs-drones-rcna170554

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