[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 716 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 716
Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding critical elements of the
United States policy towards the People's Republic of China.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 30, 2026
Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Ricketts, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Cruz, Mr.
Kaine, Mr. Moreno, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Kim, Mr. McCormick, Ms.
Duckworth, Mr. Banks, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Young, Mr. Wicker, and Ms.
Slotkin) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding critical elements of the
United States policy towards the People's Republic of China.
Whereas the People's Republic of China is the foremost rival and strategic
competitor of the United States that has the intent and capacity to
undermine the security, economic prosperity, and strategic interests of
the United States and the allies and partners of the United States;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has rapidly modernized and expanded its
military in a manner that--
(1) poses direct threats to the security and economic prosperity of the
United States, including by expanding its arsenal of nuclear, maritime,
conventional long-range strike, cyber, space, and intelligence
capabilities;
(2) aims to project power and deter the United States presence in the
Indo-Pacific region;
(3) facilitates intensified coercive military and illegal, coercive,
aggressive, and deceptive activities (also known as ``gray zone
activities'') that--
G (A) threaten the security and sovereignty of countries in the
Indo-Pacific region; and
G (B) compromise freedom of navigation in vital lanes of commerce,
such as the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait;
(4) aims to give the People's Republic of China the capability to carry
out its threat to alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait by coercion or
force, including by delaying or denying third-party involvement in a Taiwan
Strait contingency; and
(5) supports United States adversaries, such as the Islamic Republic of
Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the Russian
Federation, including through the sharing of military technology and
materiel;
Whereas the People's Republic of China employs a wide range of state-directed
economic and industrial policies designed to--
(1) disadvantage United States workers, firms, and long-term economic
competitiveness;
(2) secure dominance in strategic industries; and
(3) distort global markets, including by--
G (A) exploiting its position across global supply chains, such as
critical minerals, advanced manufacturing inputs, and other strategic
goods;
G (B) forcing technology transfers;
G (C) engaging in intellectual property theft;
G (D) creating market distortions;
G (E) imposing expansive export controls; and
G (F) establishing barriers to market access;
Whereas the People's Republic of China is working--
(1) to surpass the United States in the development of critical
emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and quantum
computing, which will define twenty-first century economic and military
power; and
(2) to use such technologies--
G (A) to expand the reach and range of their offensive military
capabilities; and
G (B) to conduct widespread cyber operations, including operations
targeting the United States and its partners;
Whereas the People's Republic of China continues to be the primary source of
precursor chemicals used by transnational criminal organizations to
synthesize illicit substances (including illicit fentanyl and nitazenes)
that harm communities in the United States;
Whereas the People's Republic of China leverages international institutions and
regional organizations, including standards-setting bodies and technical
governance frameworks, in ways that--
(1) give an unfair advantage to Chinese firms;
(2) embed technologies and rules preferred by the People's Republic of
China in global markets to the disadvantage of companies in the United
States and allied countries seeking to compete in strategic sectors; and
(3) obstruct Taiwan's participation in global forums; and
Whereas the People's Republic of China is an authoritarian state that--
(1) restricts and suppresses human rights, religious and ethnic
minority groups, civil society, and free speech and media; and
(2) engages in a sophisticated global campaign of transnational
repression: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the United States
should--
(1) address the security, economic, technological,
diplomatic, and strategic threats posed by the People's
Republic of China as the foremost priorities of United States
foreign policy;
(2) sustain and strengthen deterrence against the People's
Republic of China and enhance the capacity of the United
States--
(A) to defend its interests;
(B) to support freedom of navigation; and
(C) to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-
Pacific region, including in the Taiwan Strait and the
South China Sea;
(3) protect United States economic interests against the
predatory economic and trade practices of the People's Republic
of China, including by--
(A) strengthening export controls and closing
loopholes;
(B) restricting investments in strategic industries
in the United States;
(C) enforcing forced labor restrictions; and
(D) imposing costs to offset state-subsidized
entities and goods;
(4) dominate the artificial intelligence and other
foundational technologies sectors compared to the People's
Republic of China and other peer and near-peer competitors;
(5) reaffirm the ironclad United States commitment to, and
support for, United States treaty allies in the Indo-Pacific
region, which stand at the frontlines of the People's Republic
of China's aggression, increased defense spending to deter such
aggression, and provide vital basing for United States forces,
including--
(A) Japan, consistent with the Treaty of Mutual
Cooperation and Security Between the United States of
America and Japan, signed at Washington, January 19,
1960;
(B) South Korea, consistent with the Mutual Defense
Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of
Korea, signed at Washington, October 1, 1953;
(C) Australia, consistent with the Security Treaty
between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States
of America, signed at San Francisco, September, 1951,
and through the partnership among Australia, the United
Kingdom, and United States (commonly known as
``AUKUS'');
(D) the Philippines, consistent with the Mutual
Defense Treaty between the United States and the
Philippines, signed at Washington, August 30, 1951; and
(E) trilateral cooperation between United States
allies in the Indo-Pacific region, including among--
(i) the United States, Japan, and South
Korea;
(ii) the United States, Japan, and the
Philippines; and
(iii) the United States, Japan, and
Australia;
(6) preserve peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait
and maintain the longstanding United States policy on Taiwan,
guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (Public Law 96-8; 22
U.S.C. 3301 et seq.), the Three Joint Communiques between the
United States and the People's Republic of China, and the Six
Assurances between the United States and Taiwan;
(7) strengthen support for United States partners in the
Indo-Pacific region, including partners facing military,
economic, and gray-zone coercion from the People's Republic of
China, including by--
(A) broadening United States engagement with India,
including through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue;
(B) advancing United States partnerships with
countries comprising the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations; and
(C) working with Pacific island countries to
support their resilience and prosperity;
(8) mitigate the leadership and influence of the People's
Republic of China in multilateral organizations, technical
bodies, and international standards-setting institutions to
prevent the adoption of rules or standards that disadvantage
the interests of the United States or of its partners; and
(9) advance the democratic norms and values that promote
human rights, openness, and the flourishing of civil society in
the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, in accordance with United
States laws, such as Public Law 117-78 (commonly referred to as
the ``Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act'') and the Asia
Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-409; 22
U.S.C. 3301 note).
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