[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 186 (Thursday, November 9, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5461-S5462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 458--DENOUNCING EFFORTS BY THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF 
            CHINA TO EXERT MALIGN INFLUENCE IN LATIN AMERICA

  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:

                              S. Res. 458

       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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