Dear President Trump,

Over America’s exceptional history, successive generations have risen to the

challenge of protecting and furthering our founding principles, and defeating
existential threats to our liberties and those of our allies. Today, our generation is
challenged to do the same by a virulent and increasingly dangerous threat to
human freedoms – the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) through the nation it
misrules: the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The Chinese Communists’ stated ambitions are antithetical to America’s strategic

interests, and the PRC is increasingly taking actions that imperil the United
States and our allies. The past forty years during which America pursued an
open policy of “engagement” with the PRC have contributed materially to the
incremental erosion of U.S. national security.

This cannot be permitted to continue.

China is not as we wish it to be. In our political system, politics is the norm, and
war is the exception. It is explicitly the opposite in the PRC's worldview. Going
forward, we must better understand and deal with this dangerous asymmetry.

We the undersigned, are encouraged by the broad and coherent strategy of

robust, alternative policies you have adopted to confront the PRC’s campaign to
undermine the national interests of the United States and its allies. We
encourage you to stay the course on your path of countering Communist China.

We acknowledge and support your robust National Security Strategy that

properly sets forth why the United States must counter the PRC. Opposing the
advance of tyranny is fully in keeping with the founding principles of America and
our rich heritage of defending freedom and liberty, both at home and, where
necessary, abroad.

We note the PRC does not recognize the principles and rules of the existing
international order, which under a Pax Americana has enabled the greatest
period of peace and global prosperity in mankind’s history. The PRC rejects this
order both ideologically and in practice. China’s rulers openly proclaim and insist
on a new set of rules to which other nations must conform, such as their efforts to
dominate the East and South China Seas and the so-called “Belt and Road
Initiative,” with its debt-trap diplomacy, designed to extend such hegemony
worldwide. The only persistently defining principle of the CCP is the sustainment
and expansion of its power.
Over the past forty years of Sino-American relations, many American foreign
policy experts did not accurately assess the PRC’s intentions or attributed the
CCP’s reprehensible conduct to the difficulties of governing a country of 1.3
billion people. American policymakers were told time and again by these
adherents of the China-engagement school that the PRC would become a
“responsible stakeholder” once a sufficient level of economic modernization was
achieved. This did not happen and cannot so long as the CCP rules China.

The PRC routinely and systematically suppresses religious freedom and free
speech, including the imprisonment of over one million citizens in Xinjiang and
the growing suppression of Hong Kong’s autonomy. The PRC also routinely
violates its obligations, as it does with the World Trade Organization, freedom of
navigation and the protection of coral reefs in the South China Sea. Beijing then
demands that its own people and the rest of the world accept their false
narratives and justifications, demands aptly termed as "Orwellian nonsense."

The PRC is not and never has been a peaceful regime. It uses economic and
military force – what it calls its “comprehensive national power” – to bully and
intimidate others. The PRC threatens to wage war against a free and
democratically led Taiwan.

It is expanding its reach around the globe, co-opting our allies and other nations
with the promise of economic gain, often with authoritarian capitalism posing as
free commerce, corrupt business practices that go-unchecked, state-controlled
entities posing as objective academic, scientific or media institutions and trade
and development deals that lack reciprocity, transparency and sustainability. The
CCP corrupts everything it touches.

This expansionism is not random or ephemeral. It is manifestly the unfolding of

the CCP’s grand strategy. The Party’s ambitions have been given many names,
most recently the “China Dream,” the “great rejuvenation” of China, or the
“Community of Common Destiny.” The “Dream” envisioned by the Communist
Party is a nightmare for the Chinese people and the rest of the world.

We firmly support the Chinese people, the vast majority of whom want to live
peaceful lives.

But we do not support the Communist government of China, nor its control by the
dangerous Xi Jinping clique. We welcome the measures you have taken to
confront Xi’s government and selectively to decouple the U.S. economy from
China’s insidious efforts to weaken it. No amount of U.S. diplomatic, economic, or
military “engagement” will disrupt the CCP’s grand strategy.

If there is any sure guide to diplomatic success, it is that when America leads—
other nations follow. If history has taught us anything it is that clarity and
commitment of leadership in addressing existential threats, like from the PRC,
will be followed by our allies when policy prescriptions such as yours become a
reality. The PRC’s immediate strategy is to delay, stall, and otherwise wait out
your presidency. Every effort must be made therefore to institutionalize now the
policies and capabilities that can rebalance our economic relations with China,
strengthen our alliances with like-minded democracies and ultimately to defeat
the PRC’s global ambitions to suppress freedom and liberty.

Stay the Course!

Author of Letter Edward Connelly
James E. Fanell PhD Chinese, Australian National
Captain, USN (Ret) University
Former Director of Intelligence & Independent Translator
Information Operations U.S.
Pacific Fleet David Connelly III
Captain, USN (Ret)
List of USA Signatures
(Alphabetically) Henry F. Cooper
Willard Anderson Ambassador, former Chief
Defense & Space Negotiator with
Clarence Anthony the Soviet Union, SDI Director
Lieutenant Colonel, USMC (Ret)
Anders Corr
Rod Azama PhD, Publisher Journal of
Director The Chancellor Group Political Risk
Bob Baker Demetrius Cox
Former US Army Intelligence Lieutenant Commander, USN
Analyst (Ret)
U.S. Pacific Fleet Veteran
Tim Beard Intelligence Officer
Rear Admiral, USN (Ret)
Michael Craven
Michael Bender
Commander, USN (Ret) Kenneth deGraffenreid
Former Special Assistant to the
Kenneth Benway President, Senior Director of
Lieutenant Colonel, USA (Ret) Intelligence Programs, Ronald
U.S. Army Special Forces Reagan National Security Council
Paul Berkowitz Chuck DeVore
Former Staff Member of the Lieutenant Colonel, USAR (Ret)
House Foreign Affairs Committee California State Assemblyman,
2004-2010; Special Assistant for
Joseph Bosco Foreign Affairs, Office of the
Retired Department of Defense Secretary of Defense, 1986-1988
B. E. Bostwick Jr. Markham Dossett
Senior Intelligence Officer, GS-15 Commander, USNR (ret)
(Ret) USPACOM
June Teufel-Dreyer
Christopher Brassard Professor of Political Science
President Ten Eyck Group University of Miami
Robert Brodsky Ian Easton
Captain, USN (Ret) Research Fellow Project 2049
Institute
Nick Buck
Captain, USN (Ret) Robert D. Eldridge
President
Naushard Cader The Eldridge Think Tank
Board Member/Director
Center for War and Peace Richard Fisher
Studies
Art Furtney
Roger Canfield Major, USMC, (Ret)
Author americong.com and
VVFH.org Frank J. Gaffney
Vice Chairman Committee on the
Kevin Carrico Present Danger: China
Senior Lecturer
Monash University Samantha Gay
Dennis Carroll Kerry K. Gershaneck
Professor & Senior Research
Gordon Chang Associate Thammasat University
Writer Faculty of Law (CPG)
Bill Gertz
Author “Deceiving the Sky: Inside
Communist China’s Drive for
Global Supremacy”
Paul Giarra
Commander, U.S. Navy (Ret)
Chadwick Gore
Former Staff Director House
Foreign Affairs Europe, Eurasia,
Emerging Threats subcommittee
James Grundvig
Freelance Investigative Journalist
Ilango Gurusamy
Owner, Freedom on Wheels LLC
and Propellant Software
Lianchao Han
Vice-President Citizen Power
Initiatives for China
Heath Hansen
Specialist, USA (Ret)
Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan
William Hawkins
President Hamilton Center for
National Strategy
Donald Henry
Captain, USN, (Ret)
William C. Horn
Captain, USN (Ret)
Bradley Johnson
President Americans for
Intelligence Reform
Frank Kelly
Captain, USN (Ret)
Miles Killoch
Roy Kirvan
PhD, U.S. Intelligence
Community (Ret)
Ted Kresge
Lieutenant General, USAF (Ret)
Former Vice Commander U.S.
Pacific Air Forces
Emil Levine
Captain, USNR, (Ret)
Steve Lewandowski
Ben Lowsen
China Strategist U.S. Air Force /
Sawdey Solution Services, LLC
Holly Lynch
Democrat Candidate for NY's
10th Congressional District
Tim Lyon Roscoe Nicholson II Stuart Schippereit
Captain, USN (Ret) International Consultant Commander, USN (Ret)
Former naval intelligence analyst
Victor Mair Peter O'Brien
Professor University of Captain, USN (Ret) Paul Schmehl
Pennsylvania VVFH
Edward O'Dowd
Rod Martin PhD & Colonel, USA, (Ret) Suzanne Scholte
Founder & CEO The Martin President Defense Forum
Organization, Inc. Kyle Olbert Foundation
Director of Operations East
Tidal W. McCoy Turkistan National Awakening Carl Schuster
Former Acting Secretary of the Movement Captain, USN (Ret)
U.S. Air Force Adjunct Faculty, Hawaii Pacific
Don Oliphant University
Thomas G. McInerney President
Lieutenant General, USAF (Ret) DWO Enterprises Dan Seesholtz
Assistant Vice Chief of Staff U.S. Captain, USN (Ret)
Air Force Robert Oster
Private Investor Lawrence Sellin
Randy McSmith Colonel, USAR (Ret)
Master Chief Petty Officer, USN Rebeca Page Iraq and Afghanistan veteran
(Ret) Publisher
SD Metro Magazine William Sharp
John Mengel Former Host, Asia in Review
Captain, USN (Ret) Robert Page
Chairman/CEO REP Publishing, Stephen Sherman
Paul Midler Inc. Director RADIX Foundation
Author “What’s Wrong with
China” Russ Penniman J. Scott Shipman
Rear Admiral, USN (Ret) Owner B.B. Hoss, Inc.
John Mills Former Reserve Deputy
Colonel, USAR (Ret) Commander U.S. Pacific Fleet Joseph Smith
Director (Ret) Cybersecuritry President (Ret) Parke-Davis
Policy, Strategy, and International Lawrence Peter Pharmaceuticals
Affairs Lieutenant Commander, USN
(Ret) Fred Smith
James Mishina Captain, USN (Ret)
Lieutenant Colonel, USA (Ret) Peter Pry Lecturer, Macquarie University,
U.S. Tax Payer Dr. & Director EMP Task Force Sydney, Australia

Wayne Morris Robert Rector Peter Smith

Colonel, USMC (Ret) Captain, USN (Ret)
Numerous Military Veteran Eric Reddig Consultant
Associations U.S. Navy Veteran
Pete Speer
Steven Mosher J.R. Reddig Lieutenant Commander, USN
President Population Research Captain, USN, (Ret) (Ret)
Institute Member, Red Star Rising
Louis Riggio
Denis Muller William A. Stanton
Lieutenant Colonel, USMC (Ret) Eric Rohrbach Former Director of the American
Institute in Taiwan
Merle Mulvaney Robert Rohrer
Lieutenant Colonel, USA (Ret) Guy Stitt
Member, Red Star Rising Gerard Roncolato CEO AMI International
Captain, USN (Ret.)
Charles “Chuck” Nash Duane Stober
Captain USN (Ret) Warren Henry Rothman Captain, USNR, (Ret)
Former Reserve Intelligence
Jim Newman Robert Rubel Coordinator Area One
Captain, USN (Ret) Captain, USN (Ret)
JHU/APL Mark Stokes
Mark Safranski Executive Director Project 2049
Grant Newsham Publisher zenpundit.com Institute
Colonel, USMCR (retired)
Visiting Scholar, National Michael Schauf Fred Stratton
Chengchi University, Taiwan Captain USN (Ret) Commander, USN (Ret)
Military Intelligence
Gary Stubblefield
Commander, USN (Ret) Larry Ong
Senior analyst SinoInsider
John Tate Singapore
Commander, USN (Ret)
Chu-cheng Ming
Bradley Thayer Senior researcher SinoInsider
Professor University of Texas Taiwan
San Antonio
Mark Tiernan
Captain, USNR (Ret)

John J. Tkacik
Director, Future Asia Project
International Assessment and
Strategy Center

Don Tse
Lead researcher SinoInsider

Paul Valleley
Major General, USA (Ret)
Chairman Stand Up America

John E. Vinson
Captain USN, (Ret)

Thomas Wade

Arthur Waldron
Lauder Professor of international
Relations
University of Pennsylvania

Yana Way
Educator, Way Tutoring

Toshi Yoshihara
PhD, Author “Red Star Over the
Pacific”

James Zumwalt
Lieutenant Colonel, USMC (Ret)

Jennifer Zeng

Foreign Signatures
Terence Russell
Senior Scholar University of
Manitoba
Canada

Doris Liu
Independent documentary
journalist
Canada

Jianli Yang
Founder & President Citizen
Power Initiatives for China
China

Elena Bernini
CEO Oxford Omnia International
Italy

Satoshi Nishihata
Washington Bureau Chief The
Liberty, Happy Science USA
Japan