[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 458 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 458

 Denouncing efforts by the People's Republic of China to exert malign 
                      influence in Latin America.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 9, 2023

   Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Budd, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. 
  Durbin, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Padilla, Ms. 
Hassan, Mr. Welch, and Mr. Bennet) submitted the following resolution; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Denouncing efforts by the People's Republic of China to exert malign 
                      influence in Latin America.

Whereas, as of October 2023, the People's Republic of China is the main trading 
        partner for South America, including Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay, 
        and the second largest trading partner for Central America;
Whereas 21 countries in Latin America have joined the Belt and Road Initiative, 
        4 countries in Latin America have free trade agreements in place with 
        the People's Republic of China, and 7 countries in Latin America have 
        comprehensive strategic partnership agreements with the People's 
        Republic of China;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has worked to expand the use cases of the 
        digital yuan for the Belt and Road Initiative, even using the digital 
        yuan to settle cross-border transactions;
Whereas trade between Latin America and the People's Republic of China has grown 
        by more than $300,000,000,000 annually since 2000;
Whereas the People's Republic of China is a voting member of the Inter-American 
        Development Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank and provides loans 
        to Latin America through the China Development Bank and the Export-
        Import Bank of China, including to Venezuela, which has approximately 
        $60,000,000,000 worth of Chinese state loans as of October 2023;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has invested in or bid on numerous 
        infrastructure projects in Latin America, including around the Panama 
        Canal, such as deep-water ports, telecommunications projects, and cyber 
        networks;
Whereas investments offered to countries in Latin America by the People's 
        Republic of China often require countries to renegotiate the terms of 
        their debt and have low or nonexistent labor and environmental 
        standards;
Whereas the People's Republic of China's refusal to disclose its lending to 
        foreign countries and reluctance to engage in significant debt 
        restructuring is undermining the missions of the International Monetary 
        Fund and the World Bank related to global economic development and 
        stability;
Whereas, in 2021, the People's Republic of China developed a Joint Action Plan 
        with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States to promote 
        cooperation on governance, economic, and security policy;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has invested more than $70,000,000,000 in 
        the raw materials sector in Latin America, including critical minerals 
        such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has sought to export military hardware to 
        Latin America and bolster intelligence operations and cooperation with 
        governments in Latin America, including by establishing a defense forum 
        with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States;
Whereas Taiwan served as a permanent observer to the Central American Parliament 
        for more than 2 decades before the Central American Parliament voted on 
        August 21, 2023, to expel Taiwan and replace it with the People's 
        Republic of China;
Whereas State-owned Chinese media operates in Latin America and conducts malign 
        influence operations with a goal of influencing public opinion relating 
        to activities conducted by the People's Republic of China and the 
        leadership of the Chinese Communist Party; and
Whereas the United States has a vested interest in maintaining and growing the 
        important bilateral and multilateral relationships it has with countries 
        in Latin America, which are underscored through cooperation at the 
        Organization of American States and through trade agreements and 
        strategic dialogues: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) notes the importance of continuing to develop and 
        establish trade agreements with bilateral partners in Latin 
        America and pursue multilateral and regional engagement through 
        international fora to counter involvement of the People's 
        Republic of China in economic, political, and security issues 
        in the Western Hemisphere;
            (2) urges additional United States investment in and 
        foreign assistance to Latin America, including by expanding 
        opportunities for private sector investment in critical 
        infrastructure projects or by developing and promoting new 
        public-private partnerships with partners in Latin America to 
        strengthen the economic engagement of the United States and 
        advance democratic governance in the region;
            (3) expresses gratitude to Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, 
        Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent 
        and the Grenadines for their continued support for Taiwan;
            (4) condemns efforts by state-owned Chinese media to 
        conduct information operations in Latin America and sow 
        distrust in public institutions, including judicial systems;
            (5) supports transparent bidding processes for projects 
        related to the telecommunications and information and 
        communications technology sectors in Latin America as well as 
        other critical infrastructure projects, including cyber and 
        digital connectivity projects;
            (6) encourages the President and the Secretary of State to 
        work with the Senate to expeditiously nominate Ambassadors and 
        ensure diplomatic personnel are swiftly confirmed to the 
        relevant posts to ensure continued engagement with partner 
        governments in Latin America;
            (7) emphasizes the importance of continuing to provide 
        technical assistance to partners in Latin America, including 
        assistance to counter disinformation, corruption, and economic 
        coercion through available mechanisms such as the United States 
        International Development Finance Corporation;
            (8) reaffirms the importance of the annual Summit of the 
        Americas as an opportunity to promote the bilateral and 
        multilateral relationships between the United States and allies 
        and partners in Latin America, including new initiatives 
        established as a result of cooperation at the Summit of the 
        Americas such as the Americas Partnership for Economic 
        Prosperity;
            (9) acknowledges the 24 active partnerships the United 
        States has with defense and security forces in Latin America 
        through the State Partnership Program of the National Guard, 
        which include an emphasis on implementing the Women, Peace, and 
        Security Strategy of the United States; and
            (10) renews its commitment to establishing, upholding, and 
        investing in partnership opportunities between the United 
        States and Latin America.
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