Washington: The US House of Representatives passed a funding bill that tightens export controls, boosts trade enforcement, restricts federal technology purchases, and curbs cooperation with China.
The legislation increases funding for export control enforcement, sets aside money to pursue China-related trade cases, blocks certain federal IT purchases without security reviews, and limits US-China cooperation in science and space.
It also adds new reporting requirements on official travel to China and includes measures tied to energy and nuclear security.
The bill provides a $44 million increase for the Bureau of Industry and Security, bringing its total funding to $235 million. The House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party said the added funds will strengthen enforcement of export controls to prevent sensitive US technologies from reaching the Chinese Communist Party.
It also allocates $16.4 million for China-related anti-dumping and countervailing duty enforcement. Supporters say the funding is aimed at protecting American workers and manufacturers from unfair trade practices.
The legislation restricts federal agencies from buying certain technology. It prohibits the Departments of Commerce and Justice, along with NASA and the National Science Foundation, from purchasing IT systems unless supply-chain and cybersecurity risk reviews are completed. Those reviews must assess the role of foreign adversaries, specifically China.
Limits on US-China cooperation are another key feature. The bill bars NASA and the Office of Science and Technology Policy from engaging in bilateral cooperation or agreements with China or Chinese-owned companies unless Congress provides explicit authorization.
The measure also increases oversight of official travel. It requires Commerce, NASA and the National Science Foundation to submit quarterly reports to Congress detailing employee travel to China and the purpose of those trips.
Energy and nuclear security provisions are included as well. The legislation prohibits the sale of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Chinese Communist Party. It also bars citizens of China and Russia from accessing US nuclear weapons production facilities and prevents the Department of Energy from providing financial assistance to any foreign entity of concern.
The funding package covers the Departments of Commerce, Justice and Interior. It also provides funding for agencies including NASA, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency. The China-related provisions were backed by Select Committee Chairman John Moolenaar in his role on the House Appropriations Committee.
“China has spent decades exploiting American openness to advance its authoritarian ambitions,” Moolenaar said. “This legislation commits more resources to enforcing export controls and cracking down on Chinese trade abuses, while also protecting taxpayer dollars, technology, and energy resources from being used to benefit our greatest strategic adversary.”
The House Select Committee on Strategic Competition was set up to examine economic, technological and security challenges posed by China. The panel has focused on tightening controls and reducing exposure across federal programs.
(IANS)
