Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the ranking member on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, asking him to clarify his use of the phrase “G2” to describe the U.S. and China.

In the letter, obtained by The Hill, Krishnamoorthi said the term “carries deeply problematic connotations of depicting the United States and [China] as co-equal and primarily cooperate powers responsible for deciding global issues while sidelining U.S. democratic allies and partners.”

Last month, President Trump said on his Truth Social platform that his “G2 meeting” with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which occurred days before, was “a great one for both of [our] countries.”

Hegseth echoed the president’s phrasing on the social platform X after he met with Adm. Dong Jun, China’s minister of national defense, in Malaysia.

“As President Trump said, his historic ‘G2 meeting’ set the tone for everlasting peace and success for the U.S. and China,” Hegseth said on Nov. 1.

Krishnamoorthi noted that since “at least” the end of the Cold War in 1991, China has viewed the U.S. as its “primary strategic opponent” and has ramped up defense spending, technological advancements and nuclear ballistic missile capacity.

In 2023, China spent over $296 billion on defense, an increase of more than 80.6 percent relative to 2013, according to Marcotrends.

Economist C. Fred Bergsten introduced the idea of a “G2” in 2005. In a 2009 letter to the editor of Foreign Affairs, Bergsten argued that the U.S. and China should work together on issues such as recovering from the financial crisis, promoting global trade and combating climate change.

“Hence, an effective G-2 is imperative if the world economy is to move forward both cyclically and structurally,” Bergsten said at the time. “Of course, it must be kept informal and indeed unremarked on by the two countries themselves.”

Krishnamoorthi said in his letter that the Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy, set to be released this month, marks a “critical juncture in the development of U.S. strategy.” The Illinois Democrat added that it is “essential that we correctly frame” the country’s relationship with China, while a failure to do so “would be a grave mistake.”

He also asked Hegseth to provide information by Dec. 19 on whether the emphasis on a ”G2” represents a shift in military posture toward China or a different pivot toward the country from the Trump administration, whether the characterization was coordinated with other agencies and if the Pentagon has reassured allies that the phrasing ”does not jeopardize U.S. mutual defense treaty commitments in the region.”

The Hill has reached out to a spokesperson for Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), the chair of the select committee on the CCP, and the Pentagon for comment.

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