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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he is "dismayed" by a Biden nominee's refusal to commit to blacklisting Chinese telecommunications company Huawei as former President Donald Trump had done out of concern that the company was a security threat.
Cruz asked Biden's commerce secretary nominee Gina Raimondo about Huawei at her confirmation hearing Tuesday. Throughout the hearing, Raimondo espoused a tough position against China, but Cruz expressed disappointment that she did not explicitly state that companies currently on the Entities List will remain there.
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"I am dismayed with Governor Raimondo's and other Biden administration staffers’ responses on Huawei, Cruz said in a statement to Fox News. "It already looks like Team Biden is rushing to embrace the worst elements of the Chinese Communist Party. Huawei is a global espionage operation masquerading as a technology company and the Senate should use every tool at our disposal to keep Huawei on the Entities List."
During the hearing, Cruz had first asked generally if the companies currently on the list would remain there if Raimondo is confirmed. After she only said that she would "commit to working with you on that" while recognizing the list is a "powerful tool," Cruz specifically asked about Huawei.
"Can you commit that Huawei will remain on the list?" Cruz asked.
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"I will commit that once, should I be confirmed and I am there, I will review the policy, consult with you, consult with industry, consult with out allies, and make an assessment as to what’s best for American national and economic security," Raimondo replied.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, questions nominee for Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, during her Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee confirmation hearing, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Tom Williams/Pool via AP) ((Tom Williams/Pool via AP))
Cruz responded by claiming that there was "chatter in Washington that the Biden administration is contemplating going easy on China and removing companies from the Entities List." He said he hopes this does not come to pass, "because I think that would be profoundly contrary to the national security interest of the United States."
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At other points in the hearing, Raimondo had called out China for "unfair trade practices," accusing them of engaging in "anti-competitive" and "coercive" practices, as well "atrocious human rights abuses." She said that the U.S. needed to take "aggressive" measures, including the entities list, to combat Chinese practices that she believes hurt American workers.
"Whether it's the entities list, or tariffs, or countervailing duties, I intend to use all those tools to the fullest extent possible to level the playing field for the American worker," she said. "I believe in free trade but fair trade."
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