Assessing China's Presence and Influence in Latin America and the Caribbean Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of State to report to Congress an assessment of China's efforts to expand its presence in Latin America and the Caribbean and how these efforts affect U.S. interests.
The report shall include (1) a list identifying the countries that maintain the closest diplomatic, military, and economic relationships with China; (2) an analysis of which countries have received foreign assistance from China, including access to COVID-19 vaccines, and the conditions attached to that assistance; (3) a detailed description of sales or transfers of Chinese defense articles to countries in the region; and (4) an assessment of China's relationship with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2479 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2479
To direct the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a report
identifying efforts by the People's Republic of China to expand its
presence and influence in Latin America and the Caribbean and
describing the implications of such efforts on United States interests,
to require a briefing for Congress on the United States strategy to
respond to these efforts, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 13, 2021
Mrs. Murphy of Florida introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a report
identifying efforts by the People's Republic of China to expand its
presence and influence in Latin America and the Caribbean and
describing the implications of such efforts on United States interests,
to require a briefing for Congress on the United States strategy to
respond to these efforts, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Assessing China's Presence and
Influence in Latin America and the Caribbean Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. REPORT ON EFFORTS BY THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA TO EXPAND
ITS PRESENCE AND INFLUENCE IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE
CARIBBEAN.
(a) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the
Director of National Intelligence, the Secretary of Defense, the
National Security Council, and the head of any other Federal department
or agency the Secretary of State determines appropriate, shall submit
to the appropriate congressional committees a report that identifies
efforts by the People's Republic of China to expand its presence and
influence in Latin America and the Caribbean through diplomatic,
military, economic and other means, and describes the implications of
such efforts on United States interests.
(b) Elements.--The report required under subsection (a) shall
include the following:
(1) An identification of--
(A) countries of Latin America and the Caribbean
with which China maintains the closest diplomatic,
military, and economic relationships;
(B) the number and content of comprehensive
strategic partnership agreements, strategic partnership
agreements, or similar agreements, including any non-
public agreements, that China has established with
countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador,
Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela;
(C) countries of Latin America and the Caribbean
that have joined China's Belt and Road Initiative or
the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank;
(D) countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to
which China provides foreign assistance or disaster
relief, including access to COVID-19 vaccines,
including a description of the amount and purpose of,
and any conditions attached to, that assistance;
(E) countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in
which China, including its state-owned enterprises and
banks, have undertaken significant investments,
infrastructure projects, and lending activities at the
national and subnational level;
(F) countries of Latin America and the Caribbean
with which China has negotiated, or is in the process
of negotiating, trade agreements;
(G) the steps China has taken to benefit from the
presence of natural resources in Latin America and the
Caribbean, including oil, natural gas, rare earth
metals, fisheries, and agriculture products;
(H) the estimated number of students from countries
in Latin America and the Caribbean who are earning
degrees in China, including through scholarships
provided by the Chinese Government or Chinese entities,
and their courses of study;
(I) recent visits by senior Chinese leaders to
countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, and
visits by senior leaders from Latin America and the
Caribbean to China; and
(J) countries of Latin America and the Caribbean
that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan and any
steps that China has taken to encourage those countries
to switch relations to China.
(2) A detailed description of--
(A) the relationship between the Chinese Government
and the Government of Venezuela and the Government of
Cuba;
(B) Chinese military installations, assets, and
activities in Latin America and the Caribbean that
currently exist or are planned for the future;
(C) Chinese sales or transfers of defense articles
and services to countries of Latin America and the
Caribbean;
(D) any other form of military, paramilitary, or
internal security cooperation between the Chinese
Government and the governments of countries of Latin
America and the Caribbean;
(E) the nature, extent, and purpose of Chinese
intelligence activities in Latin America and the
Caribbean, including in the space domain;
(F) China's role in transnational crime, including
drug trafficking and money laundering, in Latin America
and the Caribbean;
(G) Chinese efforts to build its media presence in
Latin America and the Caribbean and any government-
directed disinformation or information warfare
campaigns in the region, including any campaigns
conducted by China's United Front Work Department; and
(H) efforts by the Chinese Government to cultivate
ties with political parties in Latin America and the
Caribbean as a means to build influence, including any
such efforts by the International Liaison Department of
the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
(3) An assessment of--
(A) the specific objectives that China seeks to
achieve by expanding its presence and influence in
Latin America and the Caribbean, including any
objectives articulated in official Chinese government
documents;
(B) whether certain Chinese investments in the
region, including in port projects, Panama Canal
projects, and telecommunications projects, could have
military uses or dual uses or could enable China to
monitor or intercept United States communications;
(C) the degree to which Chinese economic engagement
in Latin America and the Caribbean has contributed to
China's economic leverage over countries in the region;
(D) the degree to which China uses its presence and
influence in Latin America and the Caribbean to
encourage, pressure, or coerce governments in the
region to support China's foreign policy goals,
including policy positions taken by China at
international institutions such as the United Nations,
the World Trade Organization, and the World Health
Organization;
(E) documented instances of governments of
countries of Latin America and the Caribbean silencing,
or attempting to silence, local critics of China,
including journalists, academics, and civil society
representatives, in order to placate China;
(F) environmental degradation resulting from
China's activities in Latin America and the Caribbean,
including deforestation, air and water pollution, and
illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing;
(G) the rationale for China becoming an observer at
the Organization of American States and a non-borrowing
member of the Inter-American Development Bank and the
Caribbean Development Bank;
(H) China's relationship with the Community of
Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), a regional
organization that excludes the United States, and the
role of the China-CELAC Forum in coordinating this
relationship;
(I) public opinion about China, and about China's
presence in Latin America and the Caribbean, within
different countries in the region; and
(J) the specific actions and activities undertaken
by China in Latin America and the Caribbean that
present the greatest threat or challenge to the United
States interests in the region.
(c) Form.--The report required under subsection (a) shall be
submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex.
(d) Briefing on United States Strategy.--Not later than 30 days
after submission of the report required under subsection (a), the
Secretary of State or the Secretary's designee shall provide a briefing
to the appropriate congressional committees on the United States
strategy to respond to the efforts by the People's Republic of China to
expand its presence and influence in Latin America and the Caribbean,
including a description of the public policies, legal authorities, and
financial resources required for the United States to appropriately and
effectively counter these efforts.
(e) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee
on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of
the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee
on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Relations,
and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
(2) Latin america and the caribbean.--The terms ``Latin
America and the Caribbean'' and ``countries of Latin America
and the Caribbean'' mean the countries and non-United States
territories of South America, Central America, the Caribbean,
and Mexico.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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