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Good afternoon. The hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations, Africa, and Global Health Policy Subcommittee will come to order. Welcome to our witness. Thank you all for joining us today. There is a consensus emerging. First, that for decades the United States has been disregarding acute national security challenges and critical opportunities in Africa. And second, that for the safety and prosperity of Americans, we can no longer afford to do so. I believe that consensus is both correct and long overdue. The emphasis and attention that President Trump has already given to Africa is a demonstration of that consensus. Those challenges and opportunities are vast. They include threats posed by China, Russia, and Iran, as well as an array of regional crises. There are also wide-ranging options for cooperation on everything from critical minerals to technology and even space development. I intend for this subcommittee to serve as a primary forum for shaping and articulating the policies of the United States towards Africa on these issues and beyond. The Constitution envisions foreign policy as a tug of war between Congress and the executive. I have no doubt that over the coming months and years, there will be many instances in which members of this committee have vigorous and robust debates with administration officials testifying before us. Such debates are a necessary part of formulating policy. However, I also have every expectation that there will be significant areas of bipartisan convergence and agreement. Many of the challenges we face are so fundamental and have been neglected for so long that what needs to be done is relatively clear.
We have an enormous amount of work to do. These hearings will allow for the formulation of U.S. policies and will more fundamentally demonstrate that the United States has a policy towards Africa. Today's hearing is on China's malign influence in Africa. China represents the most significant long-term strategic threat to the United States. I believe that fundamentally, China is a global threat that must be confronted globally, region by region. Among those regions, impressingly, is Africa. China is exercising its military, economic, and political power and advancing its authoritarian agenda, all while undermining the sovereignty of African nations and the strategic interests of the United States. Politically and diplomatically, China is leveraging its growing influence to marginalize U.S. allies, most notably Taiwan. The Chinese Communist Party is pouring billions into its Belt and Road Initiative, trapping African countries in unsustainable debt, and using these arrangements to block American interests. The primary reason why China is investing so heavily in Africa is critical minerals. China already dominates critical mineral global supply chains, and China is aggressively locking up control over these resources across Africa. That leaves the United States vulnerable to being cut off. Xi Jinping talks about, quote, world socialism and declares that, quote, realizing communism has been the party's supreme ideal and ultimate objective. The CCP is building a military capable of global power projection and creating regional economic blocks that exclude the United States because they intend to project power globally at the expense of core American national security interests.
Countering Chinese malign influence in Africa requires us to reshape the paradigm of U.S.-Africa policy. For decades, U.S.-Africa policy has been synonymous with aid and development. Today, we are changing that paradigm. Today and into the future, U.S.-Africa policy will revolve around investment-led commercial diplomacy. To counter China, we need to partner with our allies and friends in Africa to promote, expand and grow trade and investment relationships. To be an alternative to China, we have to create real alternatives to China. This is what we will discuss today. I want to thank Ambassador Fitrell for joining us today, and I look forward to hearing your testimony and insights into this critical issue. And I now recognize Ranking Member Booker for his opening remarks.
I want to thank the chairman for calling really an urgent hearing. I want to thank our witness. I think we're going to have a really good conversation. I want to thank you also for your flexibility. I know we bounced around with the time.
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