Tom Cotton: It is time to 'lower the boom' on China

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Tom Cotton: 'Politicians in both parties for many decades put China's interest ahead of so many Americans interests'

Arkansas Republican discusses more evidence coming out of Wuhan lab and Biden lifting sanctions on Russian pipeline on 'Hannity'

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton argued on ‘Hannity’ Thursday that the United States needs to take a stand against China for ‘decades of lying and cheating and stealing.’

TOM COTTON: It didn't really take a lot of intelligence last year to say, gosh, this virus emerged from Wuhan, a city larger than New York, right down the street from that lab where they research viruses. And the lady that runs those labs is literally nicknamed the "Bat Lady." Maybe we should take a look at them. I'm glad to see that NBC News is finally reporting to its viewers that that lab has deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party's military. If you're watching Fox, 18 months ago and ever since you would know that. There is no distinction in China between the party and the state and the military and supposedly private institutions like government research institutions or companies or anything else. The party controls everything. And the military is the arm of the Communist Party in China. 

Politicians in both parties for many decades put China's interest ahead of so many American's interests, whether they are factory workers or our troopers who are stationed in the Western Pacific. Some of the missionaries we had going to China say nothing that they do to their own people in places like Hong Kong or Northwest China, where they're committing genocide against ethnic and religious minorities. But we need to remember that China needs us a lot more than we need them. We can buy our t-shirts and sneakers from another country, but where are they going to sell theirs so we can slap more tariffs on them. As you say, we can take away visas from Chinese Communist officials and their kids so they don't come here and take spots in our universities. It should be for American kids. We can revoke their permanent most favored nation status so they don't get that beneficial trade status, but rather, Congress and the president have to decide every year whether we'll extend it for one more year. Those are all ways that we can make China pay not just for unleashing this plague on the world, but also for decades of lying and cheating and stealing. It is time to lower the boom on China. 

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