119-s777

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 777 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 777

 To require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State to 
 monitor efforts by the People's Republic of China to build or buy 
 strategic foreign ports, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 February 27, 2025

Mr. Budd (for himself, Mr. Kelly, and Mr. Scott of Florida) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
 on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State to 
 monitor efforts by the People's Republic of China to build or buy 
 strategic foreign ports, 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 ``Strategic Ports Reporting Act''.

SEC. 2. MAPPING AND STRATEGY REQUIRED.

    (a) Mapping of Global Ports.--The Secretary of State, in 
coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall--

    (1) develop an updated, global mapping of foreign and 
 domestic ports identified to be of importance to the United 
 States, because of a capability to provide military, 
 diplomatic, economic, or resource exploration superiority; and

    (2) identify any efforts by the Government of the People's 
 Republic of China (in this Act referred to as the ``PRC'') or 
 other PRC entities to build, buy, or otherwise control, 
 directly or indirectly, such ports.

    (b) Submission of Map.--The Secretary of State, in coordination 
with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit the mapping developed 
pursuant to subsection

    (a) to the appropriate congressional committees. 
Such submission shall be in unclassified form, but may include a 
classified annex.

SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE STUDY AND REPORT 
 ON STRATEGIC PORTS.

    (a) Study Required.--The Secretary of State, in coordination with 
the Secretary of Defense, shall conduct a study of--

    (1) strategic ports;

    (2) the reasons such ports are of interest to the United 
 States;

    (3) the activities and plans of the Government of the PRC 
 to expand its control over strategic ports outside of the PRC;

    (4) the public and private actors, such as China Ocean 
 Shipping Company, that are executing and supporting the 
 activities and plans of the Government of the PRC to expand its 
 control over strategic ports outside of the PRC;

    (5) the activities and plans of the Government of the PRC 
 to expand its control over maritime logistics by promoting 
 products, such as LOGINK, and setting industry standards 
 outside the PRC;

    (6) how the control by the Government of the PRC over 
 strategic ports outside of the PRC could harm the national 
 security or economic interests of the United States and allies 
 and partners of the United States; and

    (7) measures the United States Government could take to 
 ensure open access and security for strategic ports and offer 
 alternatives to PRC investments or stakes in strategic ports.

    (b) Conduct of Study.--The Secretary of State and the Secretary of 
Defense may enter into an arrangement with a federally funded research 
and development center under which the center shall conduct the study 
required under subsection

    (a) .
            (c) Report.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
 the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in 
 coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the 
 appropriate congressional committees a report on the findings 
 of the study conducted under subsection

    (a) .

    (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph

    (1) shall 
 include--
        (A) a detailed list of all known strategic ports 
 operated, controlled, or owned, directly or indirectly, 
 by the PRC or by a foreign person of the PRC, and an 
 assessment of the national security and economic 
 interests relevant to each such port;
        (B) a detailed list of all known strategic ports 
 operated, controlled, or owned, directly or indirectly, 
 by the United States or United States persons and an 
 assessment of the national security and economic 
 interests relevant to each such port;
            (C) an assessment of vulnerabilities of--
            (i) ports operated, controlled, or owned, 
 directly or indirectly, by the United States; 
 and
            (ii) strategic ports;
            (D) an analysis of the activities and actions of 
 the Government of the PRC to gain control or ownership 
 over strategic ports, including promoting products, 
 such as LOGINK, and setting industry standards;
        (E) an assessment of how the Government of the PRC 
 plans to expand its control over strategic ports 
 outside of the PRC;
        (F) a suggested strategy, developed in consultation 
 with the heads of the relevant United States Government 
 offices, that suggests courses of action to secure 
 trusted investment and ownership of strategic ports and 
 maritime infrastructure, protect such ports and 
 infrastructure from PRC control, and ensure open access 
 and security for such ports, that includes--
            (i) a list of relevant existing authorities 
 that can be used to carry out the strategy;
            (ii) a list of any additional authorities 
 necessary to carry out the strategy;
            (iii) an assessment of products owned by 
 the Government of the PRC or by an entity 
 headquartered in the PRC that are used in 
 connection with strategic ports or maritime 
 infrastructure;
            (iv) an assessment of the costs to--
            (I) secure such trusted investment 
 and ownership;
            (II) replace products owned by the 
 Government of the PRC or an entity 
 headquartered in the PRC that are used 
 in connection with such ports; and
            (III) enhance transparency around 
 the negative impacts of PRC control 
 over strategic ports; and
            (v) a list of funding sources to secure 
 trusted investment and ownership of strategic 
 ports, which shall include--
            (I) an identification of private 
 funding sources; and
            (II) an identification of public 
 funding sources, including loans, loan 
 guarantees, and tax incentives;
        (G) a suggested strategy for Federal agencies to 
 maintain an up-to-date list of strategic ports; and
        (H) an assessment of any national security threat 
 posed by such investments or activities to United 
 States diplomatic and defense personnel and facilities 
 in the vicinity of such ports, including through cyber 
 threats, electronically enabled espionage, or other 
 means.

    (3) Form of report.--The report required by paragraph

    (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a 
 classified annex.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
 ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
        (A) the Committee on Transportation and 
 Infrastructure, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 
 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 Commerce, Science, and 
 Transportation, the Committee on Armed Services, the 
 Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Select 
 Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.

    (2) Relevant united states government offices.--The term 
 ``relevant United States Government offices'' means--
        (A) the Unified Combatant Commands;
        (B) the Office of the Secretary of Defense;
            (C) the Office of the Secretary of State;
            (D) the United States International Development 
 Finance Corporation;
        (E) the Office of the Director of National 
 Intelligence; and
        (F) the Maritime Administration of the Department 
 of Transportation.

    (3) Strategic port.--The term ``strategic port'' means an 
 international port or waterway that the heads of the relevant 
 United States Government offices determine is critical to the 
 national security or economic prosperity of the United States.
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