ACTION ALERT: Stop the Anti-China Innovation and Competition Act
Codepink
(June 15, 2021) — Last week the Senate passed the massive anti-China US Innovation & Competition Act of 2021, which allocates more than $875 million to military funding and exercises, undermines Climate Envoy John Kerry’s climate deal with China, and urges US schools and governments to conduct McCarthyist investigations into Chinese and Chinese American people.
Now Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks has introduced a companion bill called the EAGLE Act, which includes dangerous, wasteful, and environmentally damaging provisions that you must ask Rep. Meeks to remove.
This bill capitalizes off the inflated threat of China to furtherline the pockets of weapons contractors in the US by providing for an expansion of weapons sales, including long-range precision missiles, to allies in the Asia-Pacific region.
The EAGLE Act not only includes funding for military exercises, it also includes dangerous and xenophobic provisions that demonize Chinese people and undermine diplomatic solutions, which could lead to unnecessary combat and even nuclear war in the region.
Meek’s EAGLE Act allocates $225 million to international military training and education that will increase carbon pollution and greenhouse gasses despite sections that lay out the devastating consequences Americans would face if the global average temperature rose 2 degrees Celsius.
War is not green, and we cannot properly address the climate crisis if we continue funding war in the US!
The EAGLE Act also falsely casts China’s diplomacy with other nations as an effort to destabilize Taiwan. Furthermore, its text refers to the Asia-Pacific region as “the United States Indo-Pacific,” revealing the US’s arrogant belief that it has the right to dominate and control the Asia-Pacific region. The EAGLE Act would spread even more disinformation and propaganda like this by allocating over $1 billion dollars to train and fund biased journalism to further US interests and demonize China.
ACTION: Tell Congressman Meeks to remove ALL military funding and anti-China rhetoric from the EAGLE Act!
Instead of spending millions on polluting the environment with military exercises, weapons, troop and ship buildups to maintain “domination of the Indo-Pacific,” the EAGLE Act should lay the groundwork for further cooperation with China, especially on issues of climate change and global health.
Congressman Meeks has already shown a willingness to remove some of the most egregious anti-China rhetoric from the EAGLE Act, which means we can act now and make sure that there’s no additional military funding OR anti-China rhetoric in the bill!
Together we can continue to work towards diplomacy with China and against US militarism in the Pacific!
Onward toward peace,
Madison, Jodie, RJ, Marcy, the CODEPINK China Is Not Our Enemy campaign
PS: Take a look at Rep. Gregory Meeks’ EAGLE Act here.
What Are the Risks of War between China and the US? (2013)
Professor Paul Dibb, Emeritus Professor of strategic studies and Chairman of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at The Australian National University. (2013)
