US lawmakers urge Joe Biden to fight China over censorship affecting Google and Apple
- Top senators on a committee overseeing overseas trade say Beijing’s Great Firewall is stopping US media and tech from competing fairly in the country
- A new report found that actions by China, Russia, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Turkey were hurting internet users and American companies
The top US senators on the committee that oversees trade urged the Biden administration to fight back against nations including China and Russia after a new report found that their censorship actions hurt internet users and hinder American companies like Google parent Alphabet Inc. and Apple Inc.
Senators Ron Wyden, a Democrat and chairman of the Finance Committee, and Mike Crapo, the senior Republican, called on the US to use its trade tools against the nations, as well as Turkey, Vietnam, India and Indonesia.
They were identified in a report by the independent US International Trade Commission that the committee requested.
The report, released on Thursday, found that the nations have introduced a wide range of censorship, especially for digital content, that involves restrictions on US firms. Demand in each country is large enough to represent a significant market opportunity for US companies.
The report is the first part of a probe by the ITC. The second, expected in July, will seek to measure the economic impact on businesses. The conclusions could be used as the basis for a probe and action under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 – the statute used by the Trump administration to impose tariffs on more than US$300 billion in annual exports from China.
In China, censorship is not only politically motivated, but also used to protect the nation’s domestic firms that support the government’s policies, the report said.
