Sec. 1246. Report on efforts by the People’s Republic of China to expand its presence and influence in Latin America and the Caribbean
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Not later than June 15, 2022, the Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State and in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that identifies efforts by the Government of 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 the United States’ national defense and security interests. The report required under subsection
(a)shall include the following: An identification of— countries of Latin America and the Caribbean with which the Government of the People’s Republic of China maintains especially close diplomatic, military, and economic relationships; the number and content of strategic partnership agreements or similar agreements, including any non-public, secret, or informal agreements, that the Government of the People’s Republic of China has established with countries and regional organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean; countries of Latin America and the Caribbean that have joined the Belt and Road Initiative or the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to which the Government of the People’s Republic of 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, such assistance; countries and regional organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean in which the Government of the People’s Republic of China, including its state-owned or state-directed enterprises and banks, have undertaken significant investments, infrastructure projects, and correspondent banking and lending activities at the regional, national, and subnational levels; recent visits by senior officials of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, including its state-owned or state-directed enterprises and banks, to Latin America and the Caribbean, and visits by senior officials from Latin America and the Caribbean to the People’s Republic of China; the existence of any defense exchanges, military or police education or training, and exercises between any military or police organization of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and military, police, or security-oriented organizations of countries of Latin America and the Caribbean; countries and regional organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan; any steps that the Government of the People’s Republic of China has taken to encourage countries and regional organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean to switch diplomatic relations to the People’s Republic of China instead of Taiwan; and any other matters the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State determine is appropriate. A detailed description of— the relationship between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of Venezuela and the Government of Cuba; Government of the People’s Republic of China military installations, assets, and activities in Latin America and the Caribbean that currently exist or are planned for the future; sales or transfers of defense articles and services by the Government of the People’s Republic of China to countries of Latin America and the Caribbean; a comparison of sales and transfers of defense articles and services to countries of Latin America and the Caribbean by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and the United States; any other form of military, paramilitary, or security cooperation between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the governments of countries of Latin America and the Caribbean; the nature, extent, and purpose of the Government of the People’s Republic of China’s intelligence activities in Latin America and the Caribbean; the Government of the People’s Republic of China’s role in transnational crime in Latin America and the Caribbean, including trafficking and money laundering and including any links to the People’s Liberation Army; efforts by the Government of the People’s Republic of China to expand the reach and influence of its financial system within Latin America and the Caribbean, through banking activities and payments systems and through goods and services related to the use of the digital yuan; and efforts by the Government of the People’s Republic of China to build its media presence in Latin America and the Caribbean, and any government-directed disinformation or information warfare campaigns in the region, including for military purposes or with ties to the People’s Liberation Army. An assessment of— the specific objectives that the Government of the People’s Republic of China seeks to achieve by expanding its presence and influence in Latin America and the Caribbean, including any objectives articulated in official documents or statements; whether certain investments by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, including in port projects, canal projects, and telecommunications projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, could have military uses or dual use capability or could enable the Government of the People’s Republic of China to monitor or intercept United States or host nation communications; the degree to which the Government of the People’s Republic of China uses its presence and influence in Latin America and the Caribbean to encourage, pressure, or coerce governments in the region to support its defense and national security goals, including policy positions taken by it at international institutions; documented instances of governments of countries of Latin America and the Caribbean silencing, or attempting to silence, local critics of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, including journalists, academics, and civil society representatives, in order to placate the Government of the People’s Republic of China; the rationale for the Government of the People’s Republic of 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; the relationship between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and 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 such relationship; and the specific actions and activities undertaken by the Government of the People’s Republic of China in Latin America and the Caribbean that present the greatest threat or challenge to the United States’ defense and national security interests in the region. The report required under subsection
(a)shall be submitted in unclassified form without any designation relating to dissemination control, but may include a classified annex. In this Act: The term appropriate congressional committees means— the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Financial Services, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives; and the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate. 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.