[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 123 (Tuesday, July 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S3004]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 823. Mr. ROMNEY (for himself, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. 
Cornyn, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, and Mr. Braun) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2226, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2024 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in title XII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 12__. ENDING CHINA'S DEVELOPING NATION STATUS.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Ending 
     China's Developing Nation Status Act''.
       (b) Finding; Statement of Policy.--
       (1) Finding.--Congress finds that the People's Republic of 
     China is still classified as a developing nation under 
     multiple treaties and international organization structures, 
     even though China has grown to be the second largest economy 
     in the world.
       (2) Statement of policy.--It is the policy of the United 
     States--
       (A) to oppose the labeling or treatment of the People's 
     Republic of China as a developing nation in current and 
     future treaty negotiations and in each international 
     organization of which the United States and the People's 
     Republic of China are both current members;
       (B) to pursue the labeling or treatment of the People's 
     Republic of China as a developed nation in each international 
     organization of which the United States and the People's 
     Republic of China are both current members; and
       (C) to work with allies and partners of the United States 
     to implement the policies described in paragraphs (1) and 
     (2).
       (c) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
     ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and 
     the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives with respect to--
       (i) reports produced by the Secretary of State; and
       (ii) a waiver exercised pursuant to subsection (f)(2), 
     except with respect to any international organization for 
     which the United States Trade Representative is the chief 
     representative of the United States; and
       (B) the Committee on Finance of the Senate and the 
     Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives 
     with respect to--
       (i) reports produced by the United States Trade 
     Representative; and
       (ii) a waiver exercised pursuant to subsection (f)(2) with 
     respect to any international organization for which the 
     United States Trade Representative is the chief 
     representative of the United States.
       (2) Secretary.--
       (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph (B), 
     the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of State.
       (B) Exception.--The term ``Secretary'' shall mean the 
     United States Trade Representative with respect to any 
     international organization for which the United States Trade 
     Representative is the chief representative of the United 
     States.
       (d) Report on Development Status in Current Treaty 
     Negotiations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to 
     the appropriate committees of Congress that--
       (1) identifies all current treaty negotiations in which--
       (A) the proposed treaty would provide for different 
     treatment or standards for enforcement of the treaty based on 
     respective development status of the states that are party to 
     the treaty; and
       (B) the People's Republic of China is actively 
     participating in the negotiations, or it is reasonably 
     foreseeable that the People's Republic of China would seek to 
     become a party to the treaty; and
       (2) for each treaty negotiation identified pursuant to 
     paragraph (1), describes how the treaty under negotiation 
     would provide different treatment or standards for 
     enforcement of the treaty based on development status of the 
     states parties.
       (e) Report on Development Status in Existing Organizations 
     and Treaties.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to 
     the appropriate committees of Congress that--
       (1) identifies all international organizations or treaties, 
     of which the United States is a member, that provide 
     different treatment or standards for enforcement based on the 
     respective development status of the member states or states 
     parties;
       (2) describes the mechanisms for changing the country 
     designation for each relevant treaty or organization; and
       (3) for each of the organizations or treaties identified 
     pursuant to paragraph (1)--
       (A) includes a list of countries that--
       (i) are labeled as developing nations or receive the 
     benefits of a developing nation under the terms of the 
     organization or treaty; and
       (ii) meet the World Bank classification for upper middle 
     income or high-income countries; and
       (B) describes how the organization or treaty provides 
     different treatment or standards for enforcement based on 
     development status of the member states or states parties.
       (f) Mechanisms for Changing Development Status.--
       (1) In general.--In any international organization of which 
     the United States and the People's Republic of China are both 
     current members, the Secretary, in consultation with allies 
     and partners of the United States, shall pursue--
       (A) changing the status of the People's Republic of China 
     from developing nation to developed nation if a mechanism 
     exists in such organization to make such status change; or
       (B) proposing the development of a mechanism described in 
     paragraph (1) to change the status of the People's Republic 
     of China in such organization from developing nation to 
     developed nation.
       (2) Waiver.--The President may waive the application of 
     subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) with respect to any 
     international organization if the President notifies the 
     appropriate committees of Congress that such a waiver is in 
     the national interests of the United States.
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