It was ‘robust on China’ week in Congress, a problem each events agree on
An exterior view of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on September 9, 2024. Members of the Senate and U.S. Home of Representatives return to the Nation’s capitol, following their August recess.
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From drones to medicine, Home lawmakers sought to painting themselves as robust on China as they returned to work this week, taking on greater than two dozen measures geared toward countering Beijing’s technological, political and financial affect.
The blitz of 28 principally Republican-led payments throughout “China Week” has been criticized by Democrats as a ploy to make Republicans look stronger in opposition to China, a key overseas coverage difficulty, within the ultimate weeks earlier than the November election. However lots of the measures handed with bipartisan assist at a time when viewing the world’s second-largest financial system primarily as a geopolitical rival is without doubt one of the few points each Republicans and Democrats can agree on.
“Members now see little draw back threat in adopting a harder stance on China,” mentioned Craig Singleton, a senior China fellow on the Basis for Protection of Democracies, a assume tank based mostly in Washington.
China says the laws may pressure what each international locations have referred to as one of many world’s most essential bilateral relationships, whilst Beijing and Washington take steps to improve ties. It has vowed to take “sturdy and efficient measures” in response.
Speaker of the Home Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters after a gathering of the Home Republican Convention on Tuesday, September 10, 2024.
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All laws should even be handed by the Senate earlier than it may be despatched to President Joe Biden to be signed into legislation.
It’s unclear how lots of the measures will make it that far given the restricted variety of days the Senate is in session for the remainder of the yr. However their success within the Home may pave the way in which for even stronger regulatory strikes within the subsequent Congress, Singleton mentioned.
Listed here are a few of the most notable measures that had been permitted:
Biotech corporations
One of many first payments to move, the Biosecure Act, would prohibit federal contracts with a number of Chinese language biotech corporations and people who do enterprise with them, with supporters saying the measure is critical to guard People’ genetic and different well being knowledge from Beijing.
The Chinese language corporations, whose work contains most cancers analysis and manufacturing for American drugmakers, say knowledge privateness will not be in danger and that the measure will restrict competitors.
“We’re disillusioned that the U.S. legislative course of is getting used to select winners and losers,” Shenzhen-based BGI Group mentioned in a press release.
A spokesperson for WuXi AppTec, one other of the focused corporations, mentioned it was “deeply involved concerning the laws’s affect on U.S. management in biotechnology innovation, drug growth and affected person care.”
Hong Kong
Lawmakers overwhelmingly handed a invoice that might result in the closure of Hong Kong‘s financial and commerce places of work in Washington, New York and San Francisco if they’re discovered to not be working with a “excessive diploma of autonomy” from China. Authorities have cracked down on dissent within the Chinese language territory, a former British colony that returned to Chinese language rule in 1997 beneath the precept of “one nation, two programs,” since mass anti-government protests in 2019.
The Hong Kong authorities criticized the invoice on Wednesday as politically motivated, saying that ordinary functioning of the commerce places of work is “mutually useful to each locations” and that their closure would “in the end hurt the pursuits of the U.S.” The Chinese language Overseas Ministry mentioned Beijing had “lodged stern representations” with the U.S.
Drones
One other invoice would bar new drones from the Chinese language producer DJI from working on U.S. communications infrastructure, citing nationwide safety dangers that the corporate has rejected.
DJI, which sells greater than half of all drones within the U.S., said in May that lawmakers had “amplified xenophobic narratives in a quest to assist native drone producers and remove market competitors.” It added that the transfer would damage not simply American hobbyists but additionally a “broad ecosystem of operators, companies and public security businesses.”
China mentioned the U.S. ought to “cease suppressing Chinese language corporations beneath numerous pretexts.”
A brand new ‘China Initiative’
Lawmakers had been extra divided over an effort to revive the Justice Division’s “China Initiative,” a Trump-era nationwide safety program meant to counter mental property theft at universities and analysis establishments. Asian American advocacy teams mentioned this system unfairly focused ethnic Chinese language scientists and upended their lives, and it resulted in 2022 after a string of failed prosecutions.
The measure handed within the Home 237-180.
Overseas farmland purchases
One other invoice that raised discrimination issues would restrict the sale of agricultural land to overseas nationals from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. Supporters mentioned it might enhance oversight of overseas farmland purchases, together with these close to delicate websites.
A review by NBC News discovered that the full quantity of U.S. agricultural land owned by Chinese language pursuits is lower than three-hundredths of 1%.
Electrical automobiles
Lawmakers narrowly handed a measure that may tighten the definition of Chinese language parts that disqualify automobiles from receiving U.S. EV tax credit. Opponents argued that it might gradual U.S. efforts to get extra EVs on its roads as a part of the broader transition to inexperienced expertise.
Although China is a world chief within the manufacture of electrical automobiles and dominates the provision chain for EV batteries, only a few of its EVs are bought within the U.S. In Could, Biden introduced that the tariff on Chinese EVs would improve from 27.5% to 100%.
Scientific cooperation
Lawmakers handed a invoice that may require congressional notification earlier than the renewal or extension of the Science and Technology Agreement (STA) or the creation, renewal or extension of any related settlement with China.
“For too lengthy, the Chinese language Communist Occasion has exploited these partnerships to realize entry to delicate applied sciences that might threaten our nationwide safety,” Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., mentioned after the invoice’s passage.
The STA, the primary accord between the U.S. and China after they normalized diplomatic relations in 1979, expired on Aug. 27 after two six-month extensions. Supporters say the pact’s lapse would hinder tutorial cooperation and will imperil U.S.-China authorities collaboration in areas corresponding to local weather change and public well being.
Janis Mackey Frayer reported from Beijing, and Mithil Aggarwal and Peter Guo reported from Hong Kong.
