World order and we will open up to questions from members. Thank you for joining us today, congressman. Thank you for that introduction. I want to thank the counsel for this opportunity. When you look at the list of participants, there are a lot of [indiscernible] lets get started. Since the outbreak of the covid debatec, a fascinating emerged about the potential impacts of the coronavirus on the global order. Some experts are maintaining that the virus will have a transformative effect. There are people who contend that the pandemic is unlikely to be a geopolitical turning point. He believes many aspects of globalization will endure despite the u. S. Is handling the u. S. s handling of the pandemic. Frompower will not shift the and United States to china, which is part of the debate. I would like to start with a broad question. Do you think that the covid pandemic will affect the global order in consequential ways . If so, how . This is thely think Largest Global disruption we have had. Certainly in our lifetime. Probably since the end of world war ii. Upended global norms. I do think postworld war ii, we were able to put institutions, alliances, many led by the u. S. , and really did create this insperity and relative peace the 75 years postworld war ii. I do think this pandemic will impactsimilar disruptive. It will not be totally transformative, but it is creating the opportunity for us to think about what that world order looks like as we come out of this. As we think about what the world directives like, the path of the virus, we have to on the secondary and tertiary effects of this fire is globally. We certainly see a lot of fragile states around the world. The pandemic is going to increase that fragility and certainly opened Global Political norms in some of these fragile states. Side, china certainly has been on the rise. With our conversations asian allies, they are looking at china differently. Is there an opportunity for us to create Multilateral Coalitions and partnerships, not just to deal with the pandemic, not just a deal with Global Vaccine Development distribution, but also to move forward. I think the pandemic really does give us that opportunity to 21st century alliances and coalitions that reflect todays world, not the world postworld war ii. I want to ask you a little bit about the United States. We will get to china in a minute. It does appear that the pandemic has intensified international doubts and concerns about u. S. Reliability and credibility. Underscoredit is fragility around the world, but certainly also when the u. S. There are concerns about the from places such as the world health organization. Do you think this trend is reversible . I hope you do. What steps should the u. S. Take to reassert its leadership, and why does the leadership matter . President trump in the jump administration have taken an unconventional approach to Foreign Policy. Statements about nato and other alliances. Certainly create concern around the world. In our conversations with global leaders, they understand some of 2016016 alexion election depends on american politics. This election coming up in as the American Public talk about the direction of the United States. While the outcome of the president ial election wont be based on Foreign Policy, it will be based on domestic issues, the two candidates have very different approaches. The outcome will really tell a lot to our allies around the world. World. These relationships are repairable. Call yesterday and there was a lot of concern about troop withdrawals in germany. This was a Bipartisan Group of members of congress. Congress realizes the value of these institutions and can congress start to step up and rebuild the balance of power that has served us well in the cold war. There was a longterm strategy that wasnt democratic or republican. It went from one administration to the next. There is an opportunity for congress to start away in on these relationships. Way, in a Bipartisan Congress understands the value of these relationships and alliances. There is an opportunity to step back up to the table. To rebuild alliances and institutions to serve us in the 21st century. Talk a little bit about china now. The Trump Administration has reframed the nature of the that we face. Competition between the United States and china is central to that frame. There are people i think who are raising the specter of the possible emergence of a new cold war between the United States and china. Not necessarily replicating the u. S. Soviet contest, but with important similarities and possibly equally as dangerous. From my perspective, the ideological component of that competition has really come to the foreground. Do you think we are headed toward such an outcome and if so, how should we respond . I certainly think you will have Great Power Competition between the United States and china. Hopefully, it doesnt replicate what we saw in the cold war with russia. An economicll be competition. We will be in competition for global influence around the world. , if u. S. Fourthat mers ago, if you asked for years ago, i think we will look back that we didnt get the tpp over the finish line that was one of our strategic losses. I would predict we would have been finishing [indiscernible] and we would be crating a framework for goods and services around the world that would potentially move us to a more peaceful 21st century. The are not in that reality today. China is certainly exercising some of its newfound muscularity. Said, some of the political rhetoric, the issues that the Trump Administration brings up are not necessarily the wrong issues. I think their tactics and methods may lead us in the opposite direction. I would try to take the u. S. China issue out of the politics of our electoral politics and think about how do we approach this diplomatically . It is still better to have dialogue in relationships. I also think when it comes to china, the one thing that they do here is its a Multilateral Coalition of likeminded countries come together, i make the argument that china is facilitating that. We and our allies are concerned about maritime issues. While china doesnt want to see these Multilateral Coalitions coming together, i think they are accelerating the partnership and we should lean into that. In thely the europeans covid era and postcovid era supply chain issues are very different conversations than we had just two years ago. There is an opportunity for the u. S. And eu to partner there as well. As our competition with china has intensified, our areas of cooperation have really atrophied our efforts to work with china on issues like combating Climate Change even discussions about how to as iate the pandemic are understand at a federal level virtually nonexistent. And nonproliferation probably another area where he used to work quite well with the chinese. I think that some people argue that cooperation with china can undermine our ability to compete. What is the right balance between cooperation and competition with china . Do you think that we should reinvigorate some of these areas of cooperation with china along with other countries . Rep. Bera i absolutely do. Diplomacy and commerce are good things to build cooperation, certainly competition. We have to engage with china with eyes wide open. Wentny ways, i think we into the opening of China Understanding the success we had with japan postworld war ii where they became a world leading economy and stable democracy and trading partner. Same with korea. We had expectation that as chinas economy developed, the freedoms and humor rights and other issues would create the pillars of maybe not a u. S. Democracy but something more liberal world order. Obviously, that is not what we are seeing in todays china. That doesnt mean we shouldnt be engaging in dialogue. The world today is very different than it was in the cold war. Andhave the eastern bloc the liberal democracies. When you talk to the countries in the region, it is not either the United States or the west or china, they understand they are going to be trading with both. It as suchapproach that it is not either our way or the chinese weight. In aere a way to exist thattitive way but a way is fit for the region and the world. Order thatrnational was established after world war and in somes frayed ways maybe no longer wellsuited to address the challenges of today. I think we have to go beyond tot inking about how strengthen the International Order but may be new institutions. I wonder if you have some thoughts about how the International Order should be reimagined and what the u. S. Role should be Going Forward. Rep. Bera think about the permanent membership on the un security council, it is not reflective of the 21st century. Politics are difficult. In my eight years, we have been trying to address and modify the united nations. I dont think we should throw these institutions out. We should look at them from the frame before we are today in the 21st century. Is not without criticism, but you cant reform an institution if you arent part of the institution. Our very much worried that being at the table i do think there is an opportunity and the most immediate opportunity comes from the pandemic and the absolute need to develop a safe and effective vaccine. We dont defeat the virus until we are not just able to vaccinate one country but able sevencinate six or billion people around the world and can we create that organizations to allow us to Work Together and create a Strategic Partnership . We dont know which country is going to come up with the vaccine first. We dont know if the United States will come up with a vaccine that is good for seniors and china will come up with a vaccine that is good for kids. Can we use the pandemic as a Silver Lining to create a coalition. The secondary impact of massive displacement of people around the world, massive food insecurities, one country by itself cannot solve these issues. If we look at the issues of global development, can we create new instruments and tools that would help us address some of these real issues . Climate change i guess is another one. A small one. [laughter] you referred a couple of times to the global, economic, and social consequences of the pandemic. I wanted to ask you a little bit more about that. Exacerbatingvid is challenges in many countries and conflict born areas of the world like yemen and south and syria. You mentioned Food Insecurity and the World Food Program suggest that the number of people in need of food aid may double to 265 million by the end of this year. Yet the impact of the pandemic on donor countries may result in the decrease in aid in the near term. It really is a major problem that we need to think about. What are the measures that you think should be taken to mitigate these challenges and what is the role of the u. S. In congress and doing that . Rep. Bera certainly in some of up prior bills, we beefed the Global Health funding. Global put in Additional Health funding. I would hope that what comes out of the current negotiation, we have a robust Global Health funding in their. It is my hope that we can get up to 20 billion given the dollar amounts that we are talking about in the supplemental package. That ouromething conversations with the senate, the hope is that there will be some funding in there that we will be able to keep and. Thenext step is that in weoes act, we did get our got to participate in these global alliances. Wealthy nations like the United States have to take their fair share. We have to figure out what this looks like. The challenge is going to be selling that to our own citizens. I think that will be the challenge around the world because at a time when, i talked to my voters and they are concerned about whether their kids can go back to school. We have to do both. It is in our global interest and our domestic interest to address the issues around the world. The fragilebout states around the world, particularly in Southeast Asia as well as Subsaharan Africa that could really be undermined here. , we aret happens watching a failed state in libya. These present challenges for us down the road. The development of a vaccine of course is urgent. As i understand it, there is Something Like 160 efforts underway. The u. S. Has launched operation warp speed. A coalition for preparedness and innervation. The u. S. Is not participating in that. Then, there are international efforts. Priority is to get an effective vaccine as soon as possible, the backdrop of this to connect it to the global order, is that there appears to be a competition again between the United States and china. Of the you think implications are the implications if any for the leadership if china develops a vaccine first . Does the outcome of this race have an effect on the global order Going Forward or is that something that you think is a concern that is misplaced . Rep. Bera we have to be very conscious of that concern. China has the capacity in manufacturing to quickly ramp up and you factor and produce that vaccine. Lets say china ghost of the less developed world countries that dont have the capacity and they start stripping the vaccine as china. And they start distributing the vaccine. Quickly help other countries defeat the virus in the distribution of the vaccine. That is not a bad thing if we get a vaccine, but i would hope that we do it collaboratively. Once we come up with a vaccine, regardless of what country develops the vaccine, we share that intellectual property widely. We allow the Global Manufacturing capacity to develop that vaccine. We should already have set price points and negotiated. That wealthier nations like the United States are going to pay this price and less wealthy countries are going to have this price. All of those negotiations should be taking place right now. Some of it is taking place but not enough. The real concern is that this and every country in it for itself, its going to cost us more and take a lot longer to defeat the virus. More people will lose their lives, there will be Economic Hardship and suffering. This is an area where we have to put dissipate together. United states has to be at the table helping push this Global Leadership as we have throughout the last 75 years. They want us at the table right now. China has obviously been reluctant to engage in an investigation of the origins of the virus. Australia has called for them to do so and the chinese has responded by imposing tariffs on australian barley exports. I understand the who has sent some investigators. I dont know if they will be able to see everything that they need to see. Do you have confidence that we will be able to get at a better understanding of how this pandemic started and therefore be able to prevent the next one . Do you think there are more things we can do to convince china to be cooperative in this endeavor . Rep. Bera not if all were doing is throwing insults back and forth. The rhetoric is really bad right now. Past, duringin the sars, we had cooperation. It is my hope that we can tone down the rhetoric and the insults going back and forth. We may not be able to do it between now and november but postnovember, if we are able to develop some cooperation and look at the science, it is in chinas interest to better understand this. It certainly is in our interest. That is my hope that we could find that level of cooperation and just look at this purely from a pandemic perspective. We know that the incidence of pandemics like this are increasing. Many of us have all race always understood that we would see Something Like covid19. This wont be the last pandemic. As we come out of this, can we build tools of surveillance . Can we better understand the science . As we address Global Vaccine Development, can we build institutional structures in willa and asia that also help us in the next pandemic . Some of what we did in 2014 after ebola is help those countries. What we have done around that part is create Africa Infrastructure to help african nations address covid19. Lets not just deal with the current pandemic, but lets also build structures that will take us and help prepare us to identify the next pandemic. Have workedu closely with india. Can you talk a little bit about how the pandemic has affected india within congress and indias future role in the postcovid world order . Rep. Bera i touched a little bit on supply chains. Moment was the overreliance of a Single Source supply chain in this case china. That didnt happen overnight. It happened over years and decades. European andto our australian colleagues, that was a moment too much of the world because much of the raw ingredients of ppe have come out of china. Some things will come back to the United States in on shoring. But can we build redundancy . This is a place w