Senator Sullivan and Representative Smith Appointed to Lead Bipartisan China Commission
July 14, 2025
(Washington, DC)–Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) were appointed to lead the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) during the 119th Congress. Sullivan will serve as Chair and Smith as Co-Chair of the bipartisan and bicameral body. Representatives James P. McGovern (D-MA), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), and Dale Strong (R-AL) and Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Andy Kim (D-NJ), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) were also appointed as CECC Commissioners. Additional House, Senate, and Executive Branch appointments are expected.
“I’m honored to be appointed by the Senate Majority Leader to serve as Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, alongside Co-chairman Congressman Chris Smith, at this critical time for our country,” said Senator Sullivan. “Make no mistake, the Chinese Communist Party is our nation’s biggest foreign threat. We must face this threat with strategic resolve and confidence. Congress and the executive branch need to work together to craft policy that fully leverages our extraordinary advantages relative to China: our global network of allies, our lethal military, our world-class supplies of energy and natural resources, our dynamic economy, and most important, our democratic values and commitment to liberty. This Commission will play a critical role in crafting many of these policies.”
“This is a uniquely critical and uncertain moment in U.S.-China relations,” said Representative Smith. “Helping the Administration chart a common-sense China policy is one of the most consequential tasks of this Congress. We cannot shrink from the challenges posed by General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party, because the atrocities and human rights abuses they inflict on the Chinese people also threaten the security and prosperity of the American people. I look forward to working closely with Chairman Sullivan on critical issues, including Taiwan, China’s aggressive transnational repression, and its unjust detention of American citizens, just to name a few. I know it will be another active and effective year at the commission under his leadership.”
Senator Sullivan was appointed to the CECC in 2023. It is his first time serving as Chair. Senator Sullivan currently chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support and the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries.
Congressman Smith was first appointed to the CECC in 2007 and has served as chair four times since 2012, most recently in 2024. He currently chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Africa and the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. A distinguished human rights legislator, Smith has held 107 hearings on human rights violations and other abuses in China.
The Commission’s 2024 Annual Report and 2024 Executive Summary are available for download. The Commission also has a searchable Political Prisoner Database with information on over 2,400 currently detained prisoners of conscience in China. A complete record of Commission statements, policy recommendations, and bipartisan legislation on China authored by Commissioners can be found on the website at www.cecc.gov.