US: The House of Representatives supports broad security restrictions on China
US: A financing measure that strengthens export regulations, increases trade enforcement, limits government technology acquisitions, and limits collaboration with China was approved by the US House of Representatives.
The bill restricts US-China collaboration in science and space, prevents certain government IT acquisitions without security clearances, boosts financing for export control enforcement, and sets aside funds to prosecute trade lawsuits involving China.
Along with measures related to nuclear security and energy, it also introduces new reporting requirements for official trips to China.
The measure increases the Bureau of Industry and Security’s overall budget to $235 million by $44 million. The additional funding will improve export control enforcement to keep critical US technology from getting to the Chinese Communist Party, according to the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the US and the CCP.
Additionally, $16.4 million is set aside for the enforcement of countervailing duties and anti-dumping measures pertaining to China. The financing, according to supporters, is intended to shield American industries and workers from unfair trade practices.
The law prohibits the purchase of certain technologies by government entities. It requires supply-chain and cybersecurity risk assessments before the Departments of Justice and Commerce, NASA, and the National Science Foundation may purchase IT systems. The involvement of China and other foreign opponents must be evaluated in such examinations.
Another important aspect is the restrictions on US-China collaboration. Unless specifically authorized by Congress, the measure prohibits NASA and the Office of Science and Technology Policy from entering into bilateral partnerships or collaboration with China or Chinese-owned businesses.
Additionally, the proposal strengthens control of official travel. It mandates that the National Science Foundation, NASA, and Commerce provide Congress with quarterly reports that describe employee travel to China and its objectives.
It also includes measures for nuclear security and energy. The law forbids the Chinese Communist Party from purchasing crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Additionally, it prohibits the Department of Energy from giving financial support to any foreign business of concern and prohibits people of China and Russia from entering US nuclear weapons development sites.
The Departments of Justice, Commerce, and Interior are all included in the spending deal. Additionally, it funds organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, and NASA. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Select Committee Chairman John Moolenaar supported the measures pertaining to China.
According to Moolenaar, China has been using American openness for decades in order to further its authoritarian goals. “This legislation protects taxpayer dollars, technology, and energy resources from being used to benefit our greatest strategic adversary, while also allocating additional resources to enforce export controls and combat Chinese trade abuses.”
The House Select Committee on Strategic Competition was established to investigate China’s technical, economic, and security threats. The panel’s main goals have been to decrease exposure and strengthen controls across all government programs.