Swordsmyth
06-04-2018, 06:51 PM
Members of Congress are moving ahead with legislation seeking curbs on Chinese government influence operations in the United States.
Lawmakers in the House plan to introduce legislation today that would require Chinese government-funded Confucius Institutes operating on American university campuses to register as foreign agents.
The bill, called the "Countering the Chinese Government and Communist Party’s Political Influence Operations Act of 2018" also would require American intelligence agencies to provide a detailed report on Beijing's extensive covert and overt influence operations.
The bill is being sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R., N.J.) and Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Ohio), both members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It will be introduced Monday coinciding with the 29th anniversary of the Chinese military's bloody crackdown on unarmed pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
A congressional aide familiar with the bill said the measure would supplement concerns expressed about Chinese influence operations contained in the fiscal 2019 defense authorization bill.
"This legislation and the NDAA language demonstrate the growing resolve to better understand and counter the Chinese government’s political influence operations in the U.S. and outside," the aide said.
The defense bill will require what is expected to be a classified briefing to Congress on Chinese malign activities.
The Smith-Katur bill would require a public, interagency report to Congress outlining the extent and focus of what U.S. officials have said are aggressive Chinese influence operations designed to promote Beijing's policy and political narratives.
A key element will be requiring Confucius Institutes—identified by the FBI as cover for Chinese intelligence and influence operations—to register under the Foreign Agents' Registration Act.
The bill also will seek to provide sense of Congress resolutions that would call for greater law-enforcement and intelligence protection of Chinese-Americans and visiting Chinese students and faculty that have been targeted for harassment and coercion by the Chinese government.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) could sponsor similar legislation in the Senate, a congressional aide said.
More at: http://freebeacon.com/national-security/congress-crack-chinese-influence-u-s/
Lawmakers in the House plan to introduce legislation today that would require Chinese government-funded Confucius Institutes operating on American university campuses to register as foreign agents.
The bill, called the "Countering the Chinese Government and Communist Party’s Political Influence Operations Act of 2018" also would require American intelligence agencies to provide a detailed report on Beijing's extensive covert and overt influence operations.
The bill is being sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R., N.J.) and Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Ohio), both members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It will be introduced Monday coinciding with the 29th anniversary of the Chinese military's bloody crackdown on unarmed pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
A congressional aide familiar with the bill said the measure would supplement concerns expressed about Chinese influence operations contained in the fiscal 2019 defense authorization bill.
"This legislation and the NDAA language demonstrate the growing resolve to better understand and counter the Chinese government’s political influence operations in the U.S. and outside," the aide said.
The defense bill will require what is expected to be a classified briefing to Congress on Chinese malign activities.
The Smith-Katur bill would require a public, interagency report to Congress outlining the extent and focus of what U.S. officials have said are aggressive Chinese influence operations designed to promote Beijing's policy and political narratives.
A key element will be requiring Confucius Institutes—identified by the FBI as cover for Chinese intelligence and influence operations—to register under the Foreign Agents' Registration Act.
The bill also will seek to provide sense of Congress resolutions that would call for greater law-enforcement and intelligence protection of Chinese-Americans and visiting Chinese students and faculty that have been targeted for harassment and coercion by the Chinese government.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) could sponsor similar legislation in the Senate, a congressional aide said.
More at: http://freebeacon.com/national-security/congress-crack-chinese-influence-u-s/