Sec. 30281. Strategy to counter Chinese influence in, and access to, the Middle East and North Africa
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It is the sense of Congress that— the People’s Republic of China is upgrading its influence in the Middle East and North Africa through its energy and infrastructure investments, technology transfer, and arms sales; the People’s Republic of China seeks to establish military or dual use facilities in geographically strategic locations in the Middle East and North Africa to further its Belt and Road Initiative at the expense of United States national security interests; and the export of certain communications infrastructure from the People’s Republic of China degrades the security of partner networks, exposes intellectual property to theft, threatens the ability of the United States to conduct security cooperation with compromised regional partners, and furthers China’s authoritarian surveillance model.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, shall jointly develop and submit to the appropriate congressional committees and the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a strategy for countering and limiting the People’s Republic of China’s influence in, and access to, the Middle East and North Africa.
The strategy required under paragraph
(1)shall include— an assessment of the People’s Republic of China’s intent with regards to increased cooperation with Middle East and North African countries and how such cooperation fits into its broader global strategic objectives; an assessment of how governments across the region are responding to the People’s Republic of China’s efforts to increase its military presence in their countries; efforts to improve regional cooperation through foreign military sales, financing, and efforts to build partner capacity and increase interoperability with the United States; an assessment of the People’s Republic of China’s joint research and development with the Middle East and North Africa, impacts on the United States’ national security interests, and recommended steps to mitigate the People’s Republic of China’s influence in such area; an assessment of arms sales and weapons technology transfers from the People’s Republic of China to the Middle East and North Africa, impacts on United States’ national security interests, and recommended steps to mitigate the People’s Republic of China’s influence in such area; an assessment of the People’s Republic of China’s military sales to the region, including lethal and non-lethal unmanned aerial systems; an assessment of People’s Republic of China military basing and dual-use facility initiatives across the Middle East and North Africa, impacts on United States’ national security interests, and recommended steps to mitigate the People’s Republic of China’s influence in such area; efforts to improve regional security cooperation with United States allies and partners with a focus on— maritime security in the Arabian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Eastern Mediterranean; integrated air and missile defense; cyber security; border security; and critical infrastructure security, to include energy security; increased support for government-to-government engagement on critical infrastructure development projects, including ports and water infrastructure; efforts to encourage United States private sector and public-private partnerships in healthcare technology and foreign direct investment in non-energy sectors; efforts to expand youth engagement and professional education exchanges with key partner countries; specific steps to counter increased investment from the People’s Republic of China in telecommunications infrastructure and diplomatic efforts to stress the political, economic, and social benefits of a free and open internet; efforts to promote United States private sector engagement in and public-private partnerships on renewable energy development; the expansion of public-private partnership efforts on water, desalination, and irrigation projects; efforts to warn United States partners in the Middle East and North Africa of the risks associated with the People’s Republic of China’s telecommunications infrastructure and provide alternative clean paths to the People’s Republic of China’s technology; and opportunities of potential partnership with Israel and other regional nations in areas such as technological cooperation in areas critical to national security. The strategy required under section
(b)shall be submitted in an unclassified form that can be made available to the public, but may include a classified annex as necessary.