Washington, Feb 26 (NationPress) A congressional hearing has been scheduled for next week to investigate what organizers refer to as China’s growing influence in Europe’s economic domains, public institutions, and research sectors, along with the potential threats it poses to US strategic interests and the NATO alliance.

The hearing, entitled “Addressing China’s Infiltration and Coercion in Europe,” is set for March 4 and is organized by the independent Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, commonly known as the US Helsinki Commission.

Among the witnesses slated to testify are Vidmantas Verbickas, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania; Audrye Wong, a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; and Valbona Zeneli, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

They are anticipated to discuss “the role the United States can play in assisting our allies in strengthening their systems against the threats posed by China to collective security” and in “creating a more cohesive global deterrent to China and its authoritarian partners.”

While US allies in Europe have been focusing their efforts on countering Russian aggression in recent years, “they have permitted another authoritarian regime to gain a foothold in vital economic sectors, public institutions, and research domains,” according to a media release.

The document highlights that for China, sustaining Russia’s conflict in Ukraine is “a component of a broader strategy to undermine and reshape Europe according to its own vision.”

It elaborates that Beijing employs various methods, “ranging from covert political influence to aggressive industrial policies to transnational repression,” customizing its approach “for each nation and institution it targets.”

Organizers caution that “permitting China, supported by a hostile Russia, to exploit gaps in the transatlantic alliance and assert its influence in Europe” jeopardizes “both US strategic interests and the NATO alliance.”

The hearing aims to evaluate China’s “increasing access to critical sectors, governments, and institutions across Europe,” and to assess US strategic interests in “curtailing this trend.”

The Helsinki Commission noted that many European nations are “only gradually recognizing that Chinese interest and investment should be approached with caution,” warning that such interactions “frequently come with risks to national security, sovereignty, and the rule of law.”

It further asserts that nations with experiences of Russian occupation are “particularly aware of the dangers posed by allowing another authoritarian power into their territories.”

These nations, it states, “can serve as a model for Europe in adopting policies that safeguard Europeans from the complexities of Chinese investment and influence.”