Sec. 3255. Sense of Congress on the Transatlantic alliance
730 words·~3 min read·
/bill/117/s/1260/es/section-3255·A 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, European Union, and European countries are close partners, sharing values grounded in democracy, human rights, transparency, and the rules-based international order established after World War II; without a common approach by the United States, European Union, and European countries on connectivity, trade, transnational problems, 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 the People’s Republic of China; as European 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, reinforce our collective national security, and defend shared values; the United States, European Union, and European countries 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, European Union, and European countries should leverage their respective economic innovation capabilities to support the global economic recovery from the COVID–19 recession and draw a contrast with the centralized economy of the People’s Republic of China; the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union should accelerate efforts to de-escalate their trade disputes, including negotiating a United States-European Union trade agreement that benefits workers and the broader economy in both the United States and European Union; the United States, European Union, and Japan should continue trilateral efforts to address economic challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China; the United States, European Union, and countries of Europe should enhance cooperation to counter PRC disinformation, influence operations, and propaganda efforts; the United States and European nations share serious concerns with the repressions being supported and executed by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, and should continue implementing measures to address the Government of the People’s Republic of China’s specific abuses in Tibet, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang, and should build joint mechanisms and programs to prevent the export of China’s authoritarian governance model to countries around the world; the United States and European nations should remain united in their shared values against attempts by the Government of the People’s Republic of China at the United Nations and other multilateral organizations to promote efforts that erode the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, like the community of a shared future for mankind and democratization of international relations ; the People’s Republic of China’s infrastructure investments around the world, 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 with European allies and partners on Huawei’s 5G capabilities and the intentions of the Government of the People’s Republic of China with respect to 5G expansion in Europe; the European Union’s Investment Screening Regulation, which came into force in October 2020, is a welcome development, and member states should closely scrutinize PRC 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 to better harmonize United States and European Union policies with respect to export controls; the President should strongly advocate for the listing of more items and technologies to restrict dual use exports controlled at the National Security and above level to the People’s Republic of China under the Wassenaar Arrangement; 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 United States and European Union export control policies with respect to limiting exports of sensitive technologies to the People’s Republic of China; and the United States should work with counterparts in Europe to— evaluate United States and European overreliance on goods originating in the People’s Republic of China, including in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors, and develop joint strategies to diversify supply chains; counter PRC efforts to use COVID–19-related assistance as a coercive tool to pressure developing countries by offering relevant United States and European expertise and assistance; and leverage the United States and European private sectors to advance the post-COVID–19 economic recovery.