HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020652.jpg
1.04 MB
Extraction Summary
1
People
2
Organizations
2
Locations
3
Events
1
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Dissenting opinion / report excerpt
File Size:
1.04 MB
Summary
This document is a formal dissenting opinion written by Susan Shirk, likely attached to a larger report regarding Chinese influence in the United States. Shirk argues that the report conflates legitimate and illegitimate activities, thereby overstating the threat China poses to American institutions. She warns that such exaggeration could lead to a new 'Red Scare' and suggests that domestic overreaction poses a greater threat to society than the influence seeking itself.
People (1)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Susan Shirk | Author/Dissenter |
Author of the dissenting opinion regarding the report's assessment of Chinese influence.
|
Organizations (2)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| House Oversight Committee |
Implied by the Bates stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020652' at the bottom of the page.
|
|
| Soviet Union |
Mentioned in comparison to Cold War tensions.
|
Timeline (3 events)
Locations (2)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Target of influence seeking mentioned in the report.
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|
|
Source of influence seeking mentioned in the report.
|
Relationships (1)
Shirk writes a formal dissenting opinion against the overall threat assessment of the report.
Key Quotes (4)
"I respectfully dissent from what I see as the report’s overall inflated assessment of the current threat of Chinese influence seeking on the United States."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020652.jpg
Quote #1
"The report discusses a very broad range of Chinese activities, only some of which constitute coercive, covert, or corrupt interference in American society and none of which actually undermines our democratic political institutions."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020652.jpg
Quote #2
"overstating the threat of subversion from China risks causing overreactions reminiscent of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, including an anti-Chinese version of the Red Scare"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020652.jpg
Quote #3
"Right now, I believe the harm we could cause our society by our own overreactions actually is greater than that caused by Chinese influence seeking."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020652.jpg
Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (1,384 characters)
Dissenting Opinion
SUSAN SHIRK
Although I have no problem with the factual research that has gone into specific sections of the report, I respectfully dissent from what I see as the report’s overall inflated assessment of the current threat of Chinese influence seeking on the United States. The report discusses a very broad range of Chinese activities, only some of which constitute coercive, covert, or corrupt interference in American society and none of which actually undermines our democratic political institutions. Not distinguishing the legitimate from the illegitimate activities detracts from the credibility of the report. The cumulative effect of this expansive inventory that blurs together legitimate with illegitimate activities is to overstate the threat that China today poses to the American way of life. Especially during this moment in American political history, overstating the threat of subversion from China risks causing overreactions reminiscent of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, including an anti-Chinese version of the Red Scare that would put all ethnic Chinese under a cloud of suspicion. Right now, I believe the harm we could cause our society by our own overreactions actually is greater than that caused by Chinese influence seeking. That is why I feel I must dissent from the overall threat assessment of the report.
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020652
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