Sec. 5175. Establishing and expanding the Regional China Officer program
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There is authorized to be established at the Department a Regional China Officer
(RCO)program to support regional posts and officers with reporting, information, convening, and policy tools, and to enhance expertise related to strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029 to the Department to expand the RCO program, including for— one Director; locally employed staff to support Regional China Officers serving abroad; and not fewer than 20 forward-deployed Foreign Service Officers assigned to United States diplomatic or consular posts or detailed to the foreign ministry of an ally, to be known as Regional China Officers (in this section referred to as RCOs ), who shall be responsible for— monitoring and reporting on activities of the People’s Republic of China
(PRC)in the region of his or her responsibility, including in the commercial, development, finance, critical infrastructure, technology, and military domains, including projects associated with the PRC’s Belt and Road Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Development Initiative; and advising and sharing knowledge with United States embassy personnel, diplomatic allies and partners, and host countries on PRC activities locally, regionally, and globally. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall appoint a Director to oversee the RCO program from among career members of the Foreign Service. The establishment of the position of the Director of the RCO program pursuant to subsection
(c)shall not result in an increase in the overall full-time equivalent positions within the Department. The Director shall be responsible for coordinating and overseeing the activities of RCOs in order to— improve United States monitoring and responsiveness to activities, strategies and tactics of the PRC that undermine United States interests; ensure that RCO program activities are aligned with United States strategic interests and priorities for strategic competition with the PRC; oversee RCO program activities, including the development of standardized monitoring, evaluation, and learning metrics that inform effective United States Government responses to PRC activities; identify gaps in United States engagements regarding PRC cross-cutting activities that impact United States interests; and manage hiring for RCO positions, including individuals with the appropriate proficiency in Mandarin. The Secretary shall select and assign RCOs from among Foreign Service Officers who have expertise related to the PRC, including in the forms of prior experience working in or on the PRC, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and proficiency in Mandarin language. Of the total number of RCOs in the Unit, there shall be no fewer than two Regional China Officers assigned to United States diplomatic posts associated with each of the following bureaus of the Department: The Bureau of African Affairs. The Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. The Bureau of International Organization Affairs. The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. The requirement to maintain the Regional China Officer Program under subsection
(a)shall expire on the date that is five years after the date of the enactment of this Act. In this section, the term ally means— a member country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; or a country designated as a major non-NATO ally pursuant to the authorities provided by section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 ( 22 U.S.C. 2321k ).
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Sec. 5175
Establishing and expanding the Regional China Officer program
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