Tap any paragraph to write a margin note. Your notes collect in the Desk below the text and file under cases with @. The side-by-side margin rail opens on a larger screen.

Code · BILL · 119th Congress · H.R. 3838 (Engrossed in House) — To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military c... · Sec. 1705

Sec. 1705. Mapping and report on strategic ports

957 words·~4 min read·/bill/119/hr/3838/eh/section-1705·

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall— 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 identify any efforts by the Government of the People’s Republic of China
(PRC)or other PRC entities to build, buy, or otherwise control, directly or indirectly, such ports. 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. The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall conduct a study of— strategic ports; the reasons such ports are of interest to the United States; the activities and plans of the Government of the People’s Republic of China
(PRC)to expand its control over strategic ports outside of the People’s Republic of China; 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; 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; 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 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. 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). 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). The report required by paragraph
(1)shall include— 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; 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; an assessment of vulnerabilities of— ports operated, controlled, or owned, directly or indirectly, by the United States; and strategic ports; 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; an assessment of how the Government of the PRC plans to expand its control over strategic ports outside of the PRC; 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— a list of relevant existing authorities that can be used to carry out the strategy; a list of any additional authorities necessary to carry out the strategy; 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; an assessment of the costs to— secure such trusted investment and ownership; 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 enhance transparency around the negative impacts of PRC control over strategic ports; and a list of funding sources to secure trusted investment and ownership of strategic ports, which shall include— an identification of private funding sources; and an identification of public funding sources, including loans, loan guarantees, and tax incentives; and a suggested strategy for Federal agencies to maintain an up-to-date list of strategic ports. 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. The report required by paragraph
(1)shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex. In this section: The term appropriate congressional committees means— 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; and 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. The term relevant United States Government offices means— the Unified Combatant Commands; the Office of the Secretary of Defense; the Office of the Secretary of State; the United States International Development Finance Corporation; the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and the Maritime Administration of the Department of Transportation. 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.
★   the supreme law of the land   ★
Don't Tread on Me
E Pluribus Unum — out of many, one

"If you don't know your rights, you don't have any."

Marginalia · a citizen's law index
A research desk, not legal advice. Always read the cited source before relying on a summary.
Questions or an issue? support@self-law.org
disclaimerMarginalia is a research index, not a law firm. Nothing on this site is legal, tax, or financial advice and no attorney–client relationship is formed by using it. Statutes, regulations, and case law change; summaries, search results, AI output, and member posts may be incomplete, out of date, or wrong. Any interpretation drawn from material on this site should be validated by a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before you act on it.