Hill Republicans fault Biden administration efforts to meet China threats

The Commerce Department approved sales of sensitive U.S. technology to China worth $23 billion during a six-month period last year, despite an announced policy by the Biden administration to prevent American know-how from being used to bolster the Chinese military.

Alan F. Estevez, undersecretary of commerce at the Bureau of Industry and Security, told a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on dealing with Chinese Communist Party “aggression” that his agency is “doing everything” to prevent U.S. technology from helping the Chinese military and intelligence and security services.

The hearing Tuesday was one of the first organized by the Republican majority in the House and likely is a sign of things to come for the Biden administration over the next two years as it faces a bipartisan push on Capitol Hill to take a tougher line toward Beijing.