The US House has unleashed a multifaceted assault on China’s tech ambitions through a newly approved funding bill. Aimed at fortifying defenses, it enhances export oversight, mandates trade enforcement, restricts federal IT buys, and reins in joint ventures in science and beyond.
Financial firepower leads the charge: $44 million more for the Bureau of Industry and Security elevates its funding to $235 million, explicitly to block sensitive tech flows to China. Trade fairness gets $16.4 million for anti-dumping actions, a bulwark for US industries battered by illicit practices.
Tech acquisition rules now compel rigorous audits for Commerce, Justice, NASA, NSF, and others—focusing on China-linked supply chain perils and cyber threats before any purchases.
Partnerships with China? Severely limited. NASA and OSTP require congressional greenlights for bilateral agreements. Government officials’ China visits trigger mandatory quarterly reports to lawmakers.
Nuclear and energy safeguards prohibit oil from US reserves to CCP entities, deny access to weapons facilities for Chinese/Russian nationals, and cut off Energy Department aid to suspect foreigners.
Broad in scope, funding reaches Interior, Army Corps, EPA, and more. Chairman John Moolenaar of the China competition committee celebrated it as countering decades of Beijing’s opportunism: enforcing controls, curbing cheats, and ringfencing American assets.
This legislation reflects the committee’s mission to dissect and counter China’s multifaceted challenges, pushing policies for resilience and reduced reliance. In the broader geopolitical chessboard, it marks America’s commitment to outmaneuvering rivals through superior safeguards.