An exterior view of the US Capitol in Washington, DC on September 9, 2024. Members of the US Senate and House of Representatives return to the Nation’s Capital after their August recess.
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From drones to drugs, House lawmakers have tried to appear tough China as they returned to work this week, taking more than a dozen measures aimed at countering Beijing’s technological, political and economic influence.
The blast of 28 mostly Republican-led bills during “China Week” was criticized by Democrats as a ploy to make Republicans look stronger against China, a key foreign policy issue, in recent weeks before the November elections. But many of the measures passed with bipartisan support at a time when the world’s second-largest economy is primarily a geopolitical rival, one of the few issues on which both Republicans and Democrats can agree.
“Members now see little risk of taking a tougher stance toward China,” said Craig Singleton, senior China fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank.
China says the legislation could strain what both countries call one of the world’s most important bilateral relations, even as Beijing and Washington taking steps to improve ties. He vowed to take “strong and effective measures” in response.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to reporters after a meeting of the House Republican Conference on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
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All legislation must also be passed by the Senate to be sent to the President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
It’s unclear how many of the measures will get that far, given the limited number of days the Senate is in session for the rest of the year. But their success in the House could pave the way for even stronger regulatory moves in the next Congress, Singleton said.
Here are some of the most notable measures adopted:
Biotechnology companies
One of the first bills passed, the Biosecure Act, would ban federal contracts with several Chinese biotech companies and those who do business with them, with supporters saying the measure is necessary to protect Americans’ genetic and other health data from Beijing.
The Chinese companies, whose work includes cancer research and production for US drugmakers, say data privacy is not at stake and the measure will limit competition.
“We are disappointed that the US legislative process is being used to pick winners and losers,” Shenzhen-based BGI Group said in a statement.
A spokesman for WuXi AppTec, another of the targeted companies, said it was “deeply concerned about the legislation’s impact on US leadership in biotech innovation, drug development and patient care”.
Hong Kong
Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a bill that could lead to the closure of Hong Kongits financial and commercial offices in Washington, New York and San Francisco if they are found not to operate with a “high degree of autonomy” from China. The authorities have suppression of dissent in Chinese territory, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under the “one country, two systems” principle, following mass anti-government protests in 2019.
Hong Kong’s government criticized the bill on Wednesday as politically motivated, saying the normal operation of trade offices is “mutually beneficial to both parties” and that closing them “would ultimately harm US interests” China’s foreign ministry said Beijing had “backed down on tough performances” with the US
Drones
Another bill would ban Chinese maker DJI’s new drones from operating on US communications infrastructure, citing national security risks that the company has rejected.
DJI, which sells more than half the drones in the US, he said in May that lawmakers had “reinforced xenophobic narratives in an effort to prop up local drone manufacturers and eliminate market competition.” He added that the move would hurt not only American hobbyists but also a “broad ecosystem of operators, businesses and public safety agencies.”
China said the US should “stop oppressing Chinese companies under various pretexts”.
A New ‘China Initiative’
Lawmakers were more divided over an effort to revitalize the Justice Department “China Initiative”, a Trump-era national security program aimed at tackling intellectual property theft at universities and research institutions. Asian American advocacy groups said the program unfairly targeted Chinese scientists and turned their lives upside downand expired in 2022 after a series of failed prosecutions.
The measure passed the House 237-180.
Purchases of agricultural land from abroad
Another bill that raises discrimination concerns would restrict the sale of farmland to foreign nationals from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. Supporters said it would improve oversight of foreign purchases of farmland, including those near sensitive sites.
A review by NBC News found that the total amount of American farmland owned by Chinese interests is less than three hundredths of 1%.
Electric vehicles
Lawmakers narrowly passed a measure that would have strengthened the definition of Chinese components that disqualify vehicles from receiving U.S. EV tax credits. Opponents argued it would slow U.S. efforts to get more EVs on its roads as part of a broader transition to green technology.
Although China is a world leader in electric vehicle manufacturing and dominates the supply chain for EV batteries, very few of its EVs are sold in the U.S. In May, Biden announced that tariffs on Chinese EVs will increase from 27.5% to 100%.
Scientific cooperation
Lawmakers approved a bill that would require congressional notification before renewing or extending Science and Technology Agreement (STA) or the creation, renewal or extension of any similar agreement with China.
“For too long, the Chinese Communist Party has exploited these partnerships to gain access to sensitive technologies that could threaten our national security,” Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., said after the bill passed.
The STA, the first agreement between the US and China since the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1979, expired on August 27 after two six-month extensions. Supporters say ending the pact would hinder academic cooperation and could jeopardize US-China government cooperation in areas such as climate change and public health.
Janis Mackey Frayer reported from Beijing and Mithil Aggarwal and Peter Guo from Hong Kong.
