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Friday 13 September 2024

U.S. House clears a largely bipartisan package of bills to counter China

cultural land at an alarming
Continued from Front rate, and this bill is a crucial
step towards reversing that
The advocacy group Asian trend,” said Rep. Dan New-
and Pacific Islander Ameri- house, a Republican from
can Vote also warned about Washington state.
“overly broad anti-China The National Agricultural Law
rhetoric.” Center estimates 24 states
One contentious measure ban or limit foreigners with-
seeks to revive a Trump-era out residency and foreign
program to root out Beijing’s businesses or governments
spying in American universi- from owning private farm-
ties and institutes. The bills all land. The interest emerged
still need Senate approval. after a Chinese billionaire
“The House sent a powerful, bought more than 130,000
bipartisan message to the acres near a U.S. Air Force
Chinese Communist Party: base in Texas and another
the United States will not sit Chinese company sought to
idly by,” said Republican build a corn plant near an Air
Rep. John Moolenaar, chair Force base in North Dakota.
of the House Select Commit- In this photo from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, British soldiers launch a The House also narrowly ap-
tee on the Chinese Commu- drone during Project Convergence exercises at Fort Irwin, Calif., on Nov. 4, 2022. Associated Press proved an effort to exclude
nist Party. Chinese electric cars from
The Chinese Embassy in supplies. trade secrets, hacking and tural institutes funded by receiving clean-vehicle tax
Washington has said the Another bill that cleared the economic espionage. the Chinese government or credits. “America’s work-
measures would damage House would outlaw, on na- It’s House Republicans’ at- programs linked to certain ing families should not be
bilateral relations and U.S. tional security grounds, de- tempt to revive the China Chinese schools. forced to subsidize a nation
interests. “China deplores vices from Chinese drone Initiative, a Trump-era pro- Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., whose decades of unfair
and firmly opposes this and maker DJI, a dominant gram meant to curb China’s called Beijing’s influence in- trade practices and govern-
has lodged serious repre- player in the global market. spying in U.S. universities and side American schools “one ment subsidies have led to
sentations to the U.S. side,” “Allowing artificially cheap research institutes. It ended of our nation’s most glaring lost jobs, shuttered factories
spokesman Liu Pengyu said. DJI drones to monopolize our in 2022 after multiple un- vulnerabilities.” Fellow Missis- and hollowed out communi-
Here’s a look at key topics sky has decimated American successful prosecutions of sippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, ties right here at home,” said
that the legislation focused drone manufacturing and researchers and concerns a Democrat, argued the Rep. Jason Smith, a Missouri
on this week: given our greatest strategic that it had prompted racial measure could shut down Republican.
Technology adversary eyes in our sky,” and ethnic profiling. legitimate academic pro- Rep. Dan Kildee, a Michi-
Tech dominated the meas- said Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. The measure “brings back grams, such as exchange gan Democrat, said the bill’s
ures, reflecting a “laser- To patch a loophole in export the shameful China Initia- students, study-abroad op- “unclear restrictions” would
focused” approach to limit controls, the House backed tive, which is the new Mc- portunities, guest lectures make it unworkable and
the spread of Chinese tech- an amendment that support- Carthyism,” said Rep. Judy and sports events. “leave the auto industry and
nology in the U.S. and pre- ers say would cut off remote Chu, D-Calif. She criticized Farmland and electric cars batter manufacturers to pull
vent Beijing from accessing Chinese access — such as the program for assum- Several Democratic lawmak- back their U.S. investments.”
American innovations, said through cloud computing ing that “researchers and ers also raised bias concerns Diplomacy
Craig Singleton, senior China services — to advanced scholars in America should about a measure that flags The House backed several
fellow at the Foundation for U.S. technology to develop be investigated if they had as “reportable” land sales in- measures to boost sanctions
Defense of Democracies artificial intelligence and a nexus with China, such as volving citizens from China, on China and deepen ties
think tank. modernize its military. being born there or having North Korea, Russia and Iran. with Asia-Pacific countries to
The House backed a bill Spying at schools relatives from there.” The bill also would add the counter China’s influence.
to prevent federal money A bill passed along party lines Rep. Lance Gooden, a Texas agriculture secretary to the One could lead Hong Kong’s
from flowing to five biotech would direct the Justice De- Republican and bill sponsor, U.S. Committee on Foreign representative offices in the
companies with Chinese ties, partment to curb spying by called racism claims base- Investment, which reviews U.S. to close by stripping
described as necessary to Beijing on U.S. intellectual less. the national security implica- them of diplomatic privileges
protect Americans’ health property and academic Another controversial bill tions of foreign transactions. if the territory is deemed to
data and reduce reliance institutions and go after would restrict federal fund- China “has been quietly have lost autonomy from
on China for U.S. medical people engaged in theft of ing to universities with cul- purchasing American agri- mainland China.q