Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has unveiled a string of new bills aimed at holding the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accountable for any actions that affect U.S. national security, including through sanctions and cracking down on surveillance.
The five bills were introduced by the Republican lawmaker on Feb. 16 shortly after a number of objects, including a high-altitude Chinese surveillance balloon, were detected in American airspace and were subsequently shot down.
They include the “American Security Drone Act” (pdf) which Scott says will “protect U.S. national security” by banning the federal government and military from purchasing drones manufactured in countries that are adversaries such as China and have been determined to post a national security risk.
A second bill (pdf) titled the “Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act” would grant limited authorization to President Joe Biden to use military force and other measures to protect Taiwan from China’s aggression or an armed attack, including if Beijing attempts to seize Taiwan.
A high-altitude balloon floats over Billings, Montana, on Feb. 1, 2023. The United States is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over American airspace. The Pentagon would not confirm that the balloon in the photo is the surveillance balloon. (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP)
It would also dictate that no later than 180 days after the bill is enacted, the secretary of defense, in coordination with the secretary of state and the heads of other relevant federal agencies, will convene on an annual basis to discuss with Taiwan’s government ways to improve security relationships among the United States and other countries in the Western Pacific area, among other things.
Prosecution for Chinese Spying
A third bill (pdf) would impose “devastating financial sanctions” on the CCP if it invades or blockades Taiwan via sea or air, or attempts to change the status of the self-ruling island via force or “coercive” actions.
A fourth bill (pdf) is aimed at protecting America’s innovation and economic security from China by cracking down on spying by the CCP on U.S. intellectual property and academic institutions.
Under the fourth bill, those identified to have engaged in trade secret theft, hacking, and economic espionage will be prosecuted. The bill would also protect critical U.S. infrastructure against such threats from the CCP with regard to foreign direct investment and “supply chain compromises.”
A final bill (pdf), the “No CCP (Chinese Communist Police) in the United States Act,” is aimed at providing greater transparency to American travelers about China’s bilateral security agreements and joint police initiatives with other nations.
Under that act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Director of the FBI, will be required to publish on the Department of State website and any other travel alert systems operated by the department, a list of all countries that have such security agreements with the CCP and update that list every six months, so that American travelers going abroad for business or leisure are aware of such agreements.
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a suspected Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon that was downed by the United States over the weekend over U.S. territorial waters off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Feb. 5, 2023. (U.S. Fleet Forces/U.S. Navy photo/Handout via Reuters)
Taiwan Finds Remains of Possible CCP Balloon
The bills come amid increasingly heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over the future of Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China maintains is part of its territory.
Those tensions have been further exacerbated in recent weeks after the downing of a Chinese spy balloon over the United States which flew over sensitive military sites.
China insists the balloon was a civilian meteorological balloon that was blown off course due to weather-related issues.
Taiwan’s military also said on Feb. 17 that it had discovered the remains of a suspected Chinese weather balloon that crashed on a remote Taiwanese-controlled island near the Chinese coast.
In a statement accompanying the newly-introduced bills, Scott said that the CCP’s recent “disturbing actions” serve as a reminder that Chinese President Xi Jinping will “stop at nothing to exploit Americans and take advantage of the United States.”
“But a Chinese spy balloon is only one of many threats from the Chinese Communist Party as it works toward world domination. We cannot take these threats lightly,” the lawmaker said.
“I’m proud to have such strong, bipartisan support from my colleagues and I look forward to fighting this Congress to pass these good bills, hold Communist China accountable, and keep American families safe,” Scott added.
