Sec. 251. Sense of Congress on the transatlantic alliance
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/bill/116/s/4629/is/section-251A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
It is the sense of Congress that— the United States, the European Union, and countries of Europe are close partners, historically sharing values grounded in democracy, human rights, transparency, and the rules-based international order established after World War II; without a common United States and European Union approach on connectivity, trade, transnational problems such as climate change and pandemics, and support for democracy and human rights, the People's Republic of China will continue to increase its economic, political and security leverage in Europe; the People's Republic of China’s deployment of assistance to European countries following the COVID–19 outbreak showcased a coercive approach to aid, but it also highlighted Europe’s deep economic ties to China; the transatlantic relationship has come under significant strain due to tariff restrictions placed by the Trump Administration and personal attacks by the President against the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and individual leaders across the continent; as European Union member states seek to recover from the economic toll of the COVID–19 outbreak, the United States must stand in partnership with Europe to support our collective economic recovery and reinforce our collective national security and defend these shared values; the United States and European Union should coordinate on joint strategies to diversify reliance on supply chains away from the People’s Republic of China, especially in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors; the United States and European Union should enhance cooperation to counter Chinese disinformation, influence operations, and propaganda efforts; the People’s Republic of China’s infrastructure investments, particularly in 5G telecommunications technology and port infrastructure, could threaten democracy across Europe and the national security of key countries; as appropriate, the United States should share intelligence on Huawei’s 5G capabilities and the intentions of the Government of China with respect to 5G expansion in Europe; the European Union’s Investment Screening Regulation, due to come into force in October 2020, is a welcome development, and member states should closely scrutinize Chinese investments in their countries through their own national investment screening measures; the President should actively engage the European Union on the implementation of the Export Control Reform Act regulations and work to align the law’s regulations with European Union priorities; the President should strongly advocate for the listing of more items and technologies to restrict dual use exports to the People’s Republic of China under the Wassenaar Arrangement; and the United States should explore the value of establishing a body akin to the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (CoCom) that would specifically coordinate the export of United States and European Union sensitive technologies to the People’s Republic of China.