Senator presses secretary on law requiring classified China strategy and public summary

An unnamed senator pressed an unnamed secretary on whether the administration had complied with a law that required the executive branch to deliver a classified strategy on China and an unclassified public summary by “last July,” citing a list of tactics the senator said China uses to expand influence.

The senator said he supported the secretary’s devotion to American interests but said China’s trajectory had been a disappointment since the end of the Cold War. He told the secretary he wanted concrete tactical steps — “country by country, industry by industry, port by port, spyware by spyware” — not just broad goals, arguing that tactical specificity is necessary for a strategy that endures across administrations.

The senator listed measures he said China is employing, including “monopolizing key industries,” data gathering through TikTok, Confucius institutes on campuses, cyber intrusions into critical infrastructure, buying ports to support naval reach, placing graduate students in STEM fields to steal technology, a “thousand scholars” program, purchases of farmland near military installations, sales of Chinese drones to police forces, and reports of “spy cranes” in seaports.

The secretary agreed with much of the senator’s assessment and said two shifts have strengthened the U.S. position: domestic investments (notably in infrastructure, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act) and closer alignment with partners in Europe and Asia. He described coordinated tools being used against problematic practices, including investment-screening mechanisms, outbound investment controls, and tighter export controls.

On the question of the law’s required submissions, the secretary said the White House produced a classified strategy and that members and staff have received classified briefings. He pledged to address any scheduling issues for camera review and said he would follow up to ensure members can review the classified material.

The senator pressed the need for a public summary as well as classified access, saying that a high-level description of “invest, align and compete” is insufficient without detailed tactical steps. He expressed concern about the durability of strategy across future administrations and asked that the department honor both the classified and public reporting commitments in the statute.

The secretary concluded the exchange by thanking the senator and promising to “come back to you on that,” committing to follow up on scheduling and access but not providing a public summary during the hearing.

The hearing record shows a request for both classified review access and a public summary; officials pledged follow-up on access and scheduling but did not provide an on-the-record public summary during this session.