WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - U.S. Representative

John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican, will be the next chair of

the House select committee on China, replacing Representative

Mike Gallagher, who said last week he would step down from his

office in Congress in April.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement on Monday

that he had appointed Moolenaar to run the bipartisan committee

on strategic competition with China's Communist Party (CCP),

crediting the Michigan representative's service in Congress with

earning him "the respect of his colleagues on both sides of the

aisle."

"Our country, our economy, and our national security will be

well-served by his wisdom and guidance in the ongoing work of

this critical select committee," Johnson said, adding he would

take up the role after Gallagher had left Congress.

The select committee has no legislative power, but under

Gallagher has become a high-profile venue where lawmakers make

recommendations to address economic and national security

threats to the U.S. posed by China.

A desire for a hard line in dealings with Beijing is one of

the few truly bipartisan sentiments in the deeply divided

Congress, with both Republicans and President Joe Biden's

Democrats calling for increased efforts to counteract China's

global influence.

Gallagher, the first to lead the committee set up when

Republicans took control of the House in 2023, had sought to

work closely with Democrats, including the panel's ranking

member Raja Krishnamoorthi.

Moolenaar said in the statement that he looked forward to

working with Krishnamoorthi to help the U.S. "win the

competition against the CCP."

Several committee staffers from both parties told Reuters

they were optimistic Moolenaar's appointment was a positive

signal for continued bipartisan cooperation on China issues.

One of the aides said Moolenaar was closely aligned with

Gallagher's vision of the committee, adding he had a particular

focus on economic competition with China and was supportive of

U.S. manufacturing.

Michigan is home to major U.S. automakers that have

warned Washington that domestic manufacturing could take a big

hit from a potential wave of inexpensive Chinese electric

vehicle imports. Moolenaar has joined other lawmakers in urging

the U.S. government to increase the current 27.5%

tariff on Chinese vehicles

.