[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8683 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8683

   To require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State to 
   monitor efforts by the People's Republic of China to build or buy 
            strategic foreign ports, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 11, 2024

 Mr. Huizenga introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
  Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on 
Financial Services, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State to 
   monitor efforts by the People's Republic of China to build or buy 
            strategic foreign ports, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. MAPPING AND STRATEGY REQUIRED.

    (a) Mapping.--The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State 
shall jointly develop and maintain an updated global mapping of 
strategic ports identified to be of importance to the United States, 
because of a capability to provide military, diplomatic, economic, 
trade, or resource exploration superiority, and any efforts by the 
Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to build or buy such 
ports.
    (b) Strategy.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of 
State shall jointly submit to Congress a strategy to counter the 
efforts by the PRC described in subsection (a) and ensure that the 
strategic ports mapped pursuant to such subsection are built, owned, 
controlled, and managed by the United States or by governments friendly 
to the United States. Such strategy shall also include the following--
            (1) An identification of the commercial, military, and 
        dual-use capabilities of ports owned, constructed, or operated 
        by Chinese entities.
            (2) An identification of potential military capabilities, 
        including physical limitations and construction specifications 
        such as berth, in number and length, draft, deep-water level, 
        availability of transportation networks and fueling stations, 
        and quay.
            (3) An identification and analysis of ongoing PRC port 
        projects, suspended projects, and canceled projects.
            (4) An identification and analysis of non-PRC-owned or -
        operated ports that use PRC-manufactured, critical port 
        infrastructure.
            (5) An identification and analysis of non-PRC-owned or -
        operated ports that have been the victims of cyber attacks 
        originating inside or by the direction of the PRC.
    (c) Statement of Policy.--It shall be the policy of each relevant 
Federal department and agency to--
            (1) identify and encourage ways in which collaboration 
        between various development finance options, such as the 
        Export-Import Bank, the United States International Development 
        Finance Corporation, the United States Agency for International 
        Development, and others, can be used to thwart Chinese 
        investment in--
                    (A) strategic ports;
                    (B) countries that have currently have strategic 
                ports; or
                    (C) countries that have the capability of hosting 
                strategic ports; and
            (2) report to Congress on efforts and progress made in such 
        collaboration and in successfully thwarting such investments.
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