Following a visit to Beijing on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Daniel Kritenbrink, abruptly cancelled a congressional subcommittee hearing. This cancellation, occurring just prior to Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to Beijing, has drawn sharp criticism from House Republicans, who are demanding answers and raising concerns about the Biden administration's approach to China.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) criticized Kritenbrink's June 4th Beijing visit, coinciding with the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, as a "major coup" for Chinese President Xi Jinping. The subsequent cancellation of Kritenbrink's scheduled testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific has further fueled Republican concerns.

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel J. Kritenbrink attends a press conference in Manila on Jan. 20, 2023. (Jam Sta Rosa/AFP via Getty Images)

Issa's spokesperson suggested the cancellation was an attempt to avoid addressing sensitive issues related to China. Issa himself accused the Biden administration of projecting weakness in its dealings with Beijing, allowing China to exploit perceived concessions.

Rep. Darrell Issa speaks during a hearing in Washington, D.C., on March 10, 2021. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), chairwoman of the subcommittee, expressed concern that the cancellation reflects a broader pattern of reluctance to engage with Congress on China policy. In a letter to Kritenbrink, the subcommittee demanded a briefing by Sunday, seeking answers about U.S. engagement with Chinese officials and related spending programs. Kim criticized the State Department's lack of transparency and questioned its overall strategy towards China, particularly in light of recent events like the Chinese spy balloon incident and ongoing tensions in the South China Sea.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, accompanied by Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Kritenbrink, speaks during a meeting at the Government Guest House in Hanoi on April 15, 2023. (Luong Thai Linh/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Blinken's upcoming trip to Beijing aims to reopen lines of communication and address bilateral concerns. This visit follows a period of strained relations, marked by the Chinese spy balloon incident and disagreements over Taiwan and China's stance on the war in Ukraine. The CIA Director also made a secret trip to China last month to restore intelligence communication channels. The State Department has not yet commented on the congressional concerns surrounding Kritenbrink's cancelled hearing.