IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 145 

Opposing the Republic of South Africa’s hosting of military exercises with 

the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation, and calling 

on the Biden administration to conduct a thorough review of the United 

States-South Africa relationship. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 21, 2023 

Mr. JAMES (for himself, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. KEAN of New Jersey, 

Mr. MILLS, Mr. BAIRD, and Mrs. KIM of California) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Opposing the Republic of South Africa’s hosting of military 

exercises with the People’s Republic of China and the 

Russian Federation, and calling on the Biden administration to conduct a thorough review of the United StatesSouth Africa relationship. 

Whereas the United States and the Republic of South Africa 

have enjoyed strong bilateral relations since 1994; 

Whereas the holding of elections with universal suffrage in 

1994 marked the effective ending of apartheid in South 

Africa, the codified, State-enforced system of racial segregation and socioeconomic discrimination; 


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•HRES 145 IH 

Whereas South Africa is the United States largest trade partner in Africa, with $21,000,000,000 of 2-way goods trade 

in 2021, and in 2012, the countries signed a Trade and 

Investment Framework Agreement facilitating 2-way 

trade; 

Whereas the United States is the largest source of foreign direct investment in South Africa, valued at over 

$7,500,000,000 in 2021, and approximately 600 American businesses operate in South Africa; 

Whereas South Africa’s media landscape has proven resilient 

to the influence of media entities controlled by the People’s Republic of China (PRC); 

Whereas South Africa has benefitted from the U.S. Africa 

Contingency Operations Training and Assistance program since 2006; 

Whereas the United States and South African militaries have 

historically undertaken joint military exercises and enjoyed good relations, including South Africa hosting 

American troops for Exercise ‘‘Shared Accord’’ in 2022, 

the fourth time they have hosted this exercise since 2011, 

through historic Department of Defense participation in 

South Africa’s biennial African Aerospace Defense Exhibition, and through the periodic convening of the bilateral 

U.S.-South Africa Defense Committee; 

Whereas South Africa declined to participate in the planned 

‘‘Cutlass Express’’ military exercises with the United 

States in 2023; 

Whereas South Africa often voted in alignment with the PRC 

within the United Nations General Assembly in 2022, especially in relation to votes condemning Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine; 


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•HRES 145 IH 

Whereas South Africa reneged on its initial call for the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw its forces from 

Ukraine and has actively sought improved relations with 

Moscow in the last year; 

Whereas South Africa’s ruling party, the African National 

Congress (ANC) and the Chinese Communist Party 

(CCP) engage in consistent interparty cooperation in 

spite of South Africa’s Constitution being opposed to the 

CCP’s routine suppression of free expression and individual rights; 

Whereas the ‘‘United Front’’ work of the CCP has established at least 3 ‘‘overseas police stations’’ in South Africa, and these police stations, both in South Africa and 

in many other countries, are reportedly being used to 

track and harass PRC dissidents; 

Whereas South Africa hosts 6 Confucius Institutes, the most 

of any country in Africa, and cooperates with the PRC 

under the CCP’s Belt and Road Initiative; 

Whereas, in 2020, South Africa and the PRC established a 

joint bilateral ‘‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’’, 

and maintain numerous prior and subsequent agreements, memorandums of understanding, and similar accords; 

Whereas South Africa is the PRC’s largest trading partner 

in Africa, with total trade valued at $54,000,000,000 in 

2021, and has accepted $5,000,000,000 in PRC-provided 

power and transportation sector loans since 2015; 

Whereas South Africa is scheduled to hold the 15th leaders’ 

meeting of the informal Brazil, Russia, India, China 

grouping (BRICS) in August 2023; 


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•HRES 145 IH 

Whereas the increased Chinese presence in South Africa’s 

technology sector has raised concerns that the ANC may 

be trying to copy the PRC’s model of digitally aided authoritarian governance underpinned by cyber controls, social monitoring, and surveillance; 

Whereas Vumacam, a South African company building a nationwide CCTV network, has partnered with Chinese 

company Hikvision for the cameras’ hardware, and 

Telkom, South Africa’s partially State-owned telecoms 

operator, launched its 5G network throughout the country in October 2022 using technology from Huawei Technologies; 

Whereas the ANC has proved incapable of providing electricity to the South African people, through its chronic 

mismanagement of the State-owned power company 

Eskom, and on February 9, 2023, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster over the worsening, multiyear power crisis; 

Whereas South Africa will host joint maritime exercises, entitled ‘‘Operation Mosi II’’, jointly with the PRC and Russia, between February 17 and 24, 2023, and the latter 

date corresponds to the 1-year anniversary of Russia’s 

unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine; 

Whereas South Africa has used its stated stance of nonalignment in international affairs to justify increasingly close 

relations with the PRC and Russia; 

Whereas United States policy towards South Africa appears 

to have failed in building a strong, reliable bilateral partner; and 

Whereas it is in the national security interest of the United 

States to deter acceptance, cooperation, and strategic inVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:52 Feb 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR145.IH HR145

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•HRES 145 IH 

formation sharing with the PRC and Russia: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) opposes South Africa’s decision to host mili3 tary exercises with the People’s Republic of China 

4 and the Russian Federation from February 17 to 

5 February 24, 2023; 

6 (2) calls on the Government of South Africa 

7 to— 

8 (A) cancel all future military exercises with 

9 the People’s Republic of China and Russia and 

10 rejoin United States-led exercises, such as the 

11 ‘‘Cutlass Express’’; 

12 (B) respect the United Nations charter 

13 and publicly oppose Russia’s unjustified and 

14 unprovoked invasion of Ukraine; 

15 (C) strengthen its political resilience to re16 ject the Chinese Communist Party’s authori17 tarian vision for South Africa; and 

18 (D) maintain its national sovereignty by 

19 reducing its reliance on Chinese companies in 

20 key sectors such as information and commu21 nication technology; 

22 (3) calls on the Biden administration to conduct 

23 a thorough review of the current and future status 

24 of the United States-South Africa bilateral relationVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:52 Feb 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR145.IH HR145

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•HRES 145 IH 

1 ship in light of the aforementioned actions of the 

2 Government of South Africa; and 

3 (4) calls on the United States Government to 

4 keep Congress apprised by providing regular and 

5 comprehensive briefings on subjects relating to 

6 South Africa including— 

7 (A) a complete account of all known 

8 United States-sanctioned entities and 

9 transnational criminal organizations’ connec10 tions to illicit proceeds linked to wildlife traf11 ficking; 

12 (B) a detailed account of positive economic 

13 results stemming from South Africa’s inclusion 

14 in the African Growth and Opportunity Act and 

15 the United States-South Africa Trade and In16 vestment Framework signed in 2012; and 

17 (C) a timeline to end the Biden adminis18 tration’s climate colonialism by including gas19 to-power initiatives to counter the widespread 

20 and nationwide blackouts costing the South Af21 rican economy an estimated $200,000,000 per 

22 day. 

Æ 


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