Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI) (C), Chairman of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the US and the Chinese Communist Party, joins Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) (L) and Majority Whip Steve Scalise ( R-LA) for a press conference after the GOP caucus meeting on the Capitol Republican National Committee offices on February 28, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
A bunch of lawmakers will travel to California to satisfy technology and media executives, including but not limited to Apple CEO Tim Cook i Disney CEO Bob Iger to discuss China-related topics confirmed to CNBC.
Nearly a dozen lawmakers representing each parties on the Special Committee of the Communist Party of China are because of embark on a three-day tour led by chairman Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., a commission spokesman told CNBC. Bloomberg AND Axios previously reported departure details.
The tour highlights how the commission’s work can impact the tech and media industries, that are each fascinated by China’s large consumer market and workforce. Last week, Cook, whose company relies on Chinese labor to make handsets, met with the country’s commerce minister about supply chain issues.
Gallagher has earlier said wants Iger and Big Tech executives to testify before the panel.
The committee sees the trip as a possibility to each learn from industry leaders on the bottom and share their concerns and vision regarding business ties with China, in keeping with a source near the committee who was not authorized to talk to discuss the plans. The Committee desires to put pressure on corporations to diversify their supply chains in order that they should not overly depending on Beijing and that forced labor isn’t employed.
The tour will begin Wednesday in Hollywood, where lawmakers will meet Iger after which have dinner with producers, writers and former studio executives. A source described the dinner attendees as a gaggle that had worked at a high level with the Chinese market and desired to share what they saw in those roles.
On Thursday and Friday, the group will hold meetings in Silicon Valley, including a roundtable that can cover, amongst others, Microsoft on rare earth minerals, talks on artificial intelligence and China’s emerging technology strategy. One lunch shall be attended by representatives of the management staff GoogleMicrosoft, Scale AI, and Palantir to discuss what the source described as a “defensive and offensive approach to strategic competition.”
The Silicon Valley dinner shall be attended by representatives of greater than a dozen enterprise capital firms, including Andreesen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures and SV Angel, the source said.
Along with Cook and Iger, members of the group are to satisfy Microsoft President Brad Smith and Kent Walker, Alphabetglobal president and chief legal officer.
The complete list of select committee members who shall be in attendance is yet to be announced, but a House adviser confirmed to CNBC that Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat representing Silicon Valley, shall be amongst them.
The businesses listed on this report either didn’t respond immediately or didn’t provide comment.
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