```

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5377 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 5377

To develop a strategy for increasing access to independent information 
 for Chinese citizens, to establish an interagency task force to carry 
               out such strategy, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 21, 2024

  Mr. Cardin (for himself and Mr. Sullivan) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To develop a strategy for increasing access to independent information 
 for Chinese citizens, to establish an interagency task force to carry 
               out such strategy, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLES; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Titles.--This Act may be cited as the ``Informing a 
Nation with Free, Open, and Reliable Media Act of 2024'' or the 
``INFORM Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short titles; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. Findings.
Sec. 4. Sense of Congress.
Sec. 5. Statement of policy.
Sec. 6. Strategy for increasing access to independent information for 
                            citizens of the People's Republic of China.
Sec. 7. Establishment of the Global News Service.
Sec. 8. Increasing coordination and resources for censorship 
                            circumvention, secure sharing, and content 
                            creation initiatives.
Sec. 9. Addressing the lack of reciprocity between the United States 
                            and the People's Republic of China in the 
                            information space.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) CCP.--The term ``CCP'' means the Chinese Communist 
        Party.
            (2) Coordinator.--The term ``Coordinator'' means the 
        coordinator of the interagency task force appointed by the 
        President pursuant to section 8(b).
            (3) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
        Department of State.
            (4) PRC.--The term ``PRC'' means the People's Republic of 
        China.
            (5) RFA.--The term ``RFA'' means Radio Free Asia.
            (6) USAGM.--The term ``USAGM'' means the United States 
        Agency for Global Media.
            (7) VOA.--The term ``VOA'' means Voice of America.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Since the advent and proliferation of the internet, the 
        Chinese Communist Party has viewed the global, cross-border, 
        and open information environment the internet created as an 
        existential threat to its legitimacy, its effective 
        indoctrination and control of its citizens, and its 
        authoritarian political system.
            (2) Despite brief periods of increased openness in the 
        internet ecosystem of the People's Republic of China during the 
        early 2000s, the CCP has since expended billions of dollars to 
        develop a digital information control regime (commonly known as 
        the ``Great Firewall of China'') that is a wholescale 
        substitution of the global internet with compelling, nearly 
        universally used domestic platforms with built-in censorship 
        and surveillance features as alternatives, which has 
        fundamentally reshaped its population's behavior.
            (3) Through this system in the PRC, the ``Great Firewall'' 
        blocks foreign internet search providers, independent news and 
        media websites, circumvention and secure messaging tools, and 
        other content deemed undesirable by the CCP.
            (4) The PRC also engages in meta-level censorship to 
        obscure the possibility of circumvention and surveillance 
        evasion by criminalizing VPNs, blocking discussion of anti-
        censorship methods, widespread app removal from app stores, and 
        related techniques.
            (5) Chinese internet users must contend with expansive 
        repressive digital surveillance that often results in real-
        world consequences and leads to significant self-censorship.
            (6) Under the leadership of Chairman Xi Jinping, the CCP 
        and government organs have prioritized--
                    (A) the censorship and surveillance of their 
                citizens' online behavior; and
                    (B) the indoctrination of the CCP's--
                            (i) authoritarian worldview;
                            (ii) anti-American and anti-West 
                        propaganda; and
                            (iii) intent to undermine and redefine the 
                        United States-led global order.
            (7) The PRC's internet censorship regime systematically--
                    (A) amplifies the voices of nationalistic internet 
                users;
                    (B) silences the voices of moderate or dissenting 
                voices;
                    (C) suppresses information that threatens the 
                credibility of the CCP, including reports of corruption 
                and of unexplained wealth held by CCP and People's 
                Liberation Army officials and their families; and
                    (D) creates an echo chamber on the PRC domestic 
                internet that makes it challenging for international 
                observers to decipher--
                            (i) the prevailing beliefs, values, and 
                        perspectives of different segments of PRC 
                        society; and
                            (ii) their views on the domestic and 
                        foreign policies of the PRC government.
            (8) Concurrent with the increased sophistication and 
        refinement of the PRC's censored and restricted information 
        space, the CCP has expended billions of dollars to build an 
        asymmetric advantage by reengineering its population's online 
        norms concurrent with--
                    (A) exploiting the open and uncensored online 
                information environment in the United States and many 
                countries globally to advance its pro-CCP and anti-
                United States propaganda and disinformation; and
                    (B) highly restricting the United States online and 
                public diplomacy activities in the PRC.
            (9) The United States Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, 
        recently stated that the PRC's Ministry of State Security has 
        interrupted and effectively cancelled 61 public in-person and 
        online events organized by the United States mission in China 
        since November 2023.
            (10) Despite a comprehensive censorship and surveillance 
        regime, the relentless indoctrination by CCP and PRC government 
        organs, and the highly coordinated, systematized, and 
        repressive structure of the PRC censorship and propaganda 
        apparatus, PRC citizens have begun to demonstrate--
                    (A) a lack of confidence and satisfaction in their 
                government's policies, conduct, and the information 
                available to them within the PRC's censored and 
                restrictive online information space; and
                    (B) a growing willingness to express dissent 
                online, seek alternative sources of information and 
                engagement, and call for greater economic and political 
                freedoms.
            (11) In a recent Stanford University study, researchers 
        discovered that PRC university students who were exposed to 
        foreign news and independent content changed their knowledge, 
        beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors suggesting that demand for 
        uncensored information can persist and may generate pressure on 
        the PRC censorship apparatus.
            (12) In 2021, during a period when the Clubhouse 
        application was briefly uncensored in the People's Republic of 
        China, downloads and engagement on Clubhouse rapidly increased 
        and provided an opportunity for PRC internet users to openly 
        discuss sensitive topics, including--
                    (A) the reeducation camps in Xinjiang;
                    (B) the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre; and
                    (C) the future of Taiwan.
            (13) One Clubhouse user penned a hashtag, which was viewed 
        more than 50,000,000 times, calling the discussions the 
        ``Renaissance of China''.
            (14) In 2022, during the multi-city ``White Paper'' 
        protests in defiance of the Government of the PRC's zero-COVID-
        19 policy, internet users in the PRC expressed solidarity and 
        organized the protests through a variety of online platforms.
            (15) Information technology news outlet Techopedia released 
        a report and data indicating that, despite being largely 
        blocked and criminalized, the usage of VPNs in the PRC doubled 
        during 2023.
            (16) In February 2024, after the United States Embassy in 
        Beijing posted information on China's popular Weibo social 
        media platform discussing scientists' use of satellite data to 
        track and monitor the movement of giraffes, the platform was 
        inundated with comments from PRC internet users lamenting the 
        state of the PRC economy and recent turmoil in its stock, bond, 
        and real estate markets, with many users expressing a desire 
        for help from the United States.
            (17) The demand among PRC citizens for independent and 
        alternative sources of information is growing, while the level 
        of United States Government funding to disseminate 
        circumvention tools to PRC citizens so they can access 
        independent information has remained at consistently low 
        levels, especially compared to the billions of renminbi 
        (Chinese yuan) the PRC is spending to censor and monitor its 
        internet ecosystem.
            (18) Publicly-funded VPNs supported through the Open 
        Technology Fund are used by millions of monthly active users in 
        China and have proven to be resilient. Traditional 
        circumvention tools, such as VPNs, are necessary but are not 
        sufficient to address the unique challenge of China's socio-
        technological information control system.
            (19) Increasing access to independent information for PRC 
        citizens will aid broader United States efforts--
                    (A) to engage PRC citizens;
                    (B) to provide credible and reliable alternative 
                sources of information for PRC citizens regarding 
                events occurring within the PRC and globally;
                    (C) to promote a balanced understanding of the 
                United States among PRC citizens; and
                    (D) to support PRC citizens in their efforts to 
                advance their individual freedoms and human rights and 
                hold their government accountable.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the United States Government 
should--
            (1) prioritize the development of a vision and strategy for 
        engaging with PRC citizens through the development and delivery 
        of Mandarin Chinese-language content that is timely, 
        compelling, and pertinent to--
                    (A) the issues and challenges they face in their 
                daily lives;
                    (B) the domestic and foreign policy decisions of 
                the PRC government; and
                    (C) the governance failures and corruption of the 
                CCP, including unexplained wealth held by CCP and PLA 
                officials and their families;
            (2) increase the level of coordination among Federal 
        agencies to develop and disseminate timely, compelling, and 
        pertinent Mandarin Chinese-language content that is otherwise 
        blocked by the PRC government's highly censored and restrictive 
        internet ecosystem;
            (3) dually prioritize--
                    (A) access to independent information through 
                circumvention and other tools for PRC citizens; and
                    (B) the secure sharing of such content in the PRC's 
                highly censored internet ecosystem;
            (4) optimize the impact of circumvention and secure content 
        sharing tools by more effectively pairing such tools with 
        timely, compelling, and pertinent Mandarin Chinese-language 
        content; and
            (5) seek to counter the lack of reciprocity with the PRC in 
        the online information and public diplomacy space.

SEC. 5. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States--
            (1) to make increasing access to independent information 
        for and engagement with the roughly 1,400,000,000 PRC citizens 
        a national security priority of the United States that benefits 
        broader United States priorities to promote human rights, the 
        rule of law, and good governance in the PRC and globally;
            (2) to prioritize the expansion and improvement of the 
        development and dissemination of independent information to PRC 
        citizens inside and outside the People's Republic of China, 
        including by more effectively pairing independent information 
        with the circumvention and other tools needed to access such 
        content;
            (3) to prioritize and coordinate Mandarin Chinese-language 
        content development and content dissemination, and develop 
        technical solutions to address the PRC's digital information 
        controls; and
            (4) to work with like-minded partners and allies--
                    (A) to develop coordinated and complementary 
                strategies for increasing access to independent 
                information for PRC citizens; and
                    (B) to address the lack of reciprocity in the 
                information and media environments between the PRC and 
                the United States and its partners and allies.

SEC. 6. STRATEGY FOR INCREASING ACCESS TO INDEPENDENT INFORMATION FOR 
              CITIZENS OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.

    (a) President's Strategy.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit a strategy to the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives for increasing access 
to independent information for citizens of the PRC who are within or 
outside the PRC.
    (b) Strategy Elements.--The strategy required under subsection (a) 
shall include--
            (1) a plan for increasing the accessibility and adoption of 
        circumvention and secure communications tools within the PRC, 
        which may include--
                    (A) an assessment of the technical challenges of 
                the PRC's information control regime; and
                    (B) an evaluation of research, technological, and 
                other gaps that may affect strategy implementation;
            (2) an assessment of Mandarin Chinese-language content 
        creation and distribution capabilities within the Department, 
        across the interagency task force established pursuant to 
        section 8, and among other Federal departments and agencies, as 
        appropriate, including--
                    (A) whether United States Government-produced, 
                Mandarin Chinese-language content is accessible either 
                inside or outside the PRC;
                    (B) the uptake of, and engagement with, various 
                types of content among citizens of the PRC within or 
                outside the PRC;
                    (C) the use of survey tools and other data sources 
                to assess the areas of interest and concern, whether 
                domestic or international, among different segments of 
                PRC citizens; and
                    (D) where gaps or duplication of effort exist in 
                the efficacy of the Mandarin Chinese-language content 
                developed and disseminated by the Department or the 
                interagency task force, and how such gaps or 
                duplication will be addressed through the strategy;
            (3) a description of how the Department plans to improve 
        coordination between components of the Department, and across 
        the interagency task force, in--
                    (A) developing and disseminating compelling, 
                accessible Mandarin Chinese-language content within and 
                outside the PRC's information control regime while 
                avoiding duplication; and
                    (B) funding outside organizations to develop 
                circumvention and secure content sharing tools;
            (4) a description of how the Department plans to promote 
        greater convergence and pairing between the development and 
        dissemination of effective and high quality content and the 
        circumvention tools used to access and share such content;
            (5) a description of how the Department plans to develop 
        networks with known and emerging Mandarin Chinese-language 
        content developers and social media influencers through 
        initiatives such as media and internet freedom programs based 
        outside of the PRC;
            (6) an assessment of the current efficacy of content 
        generated by the Department that is disseminated within the 
        PRC, including by United States embassies and consulates within 
        the PRC, and how Department plans to improve the efficacy and 
        use of content disseminated within the PRC;
            (7) a plan for increasing digital engagement with citizens 
        of the PRC who are living or traveling outside of the PRC by 
        providing them with temporary access to an uncensored internet 
        environment; and
            (8) a description of any additional resources, including 
        additional funding or authorities, needed to further the 
        objectives outlined in the strategy.
    (c) Classification.--The strategy required under subsection (a) 
shall be unclassified, but may include a classified annex.

SEC. 7. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GLOBAL NEWS SERVICE.

    (a) Establishment.--The United States International Broadcasting 
Act of 1994 (title III of Public Law 103-236; 22 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.) 
is amended by inserting after section 309A the following:

``SEC. 309B. GLOBAL NEWS SERVICE.

    ``(a) Authority.--
            ``(1) In general.--Grants authorized under section 305(a) 
        shall be available to make annual grants for the purpose of 
        curating, translating, distributing, and making available 
        content created or disseminated by the Voice of America, Radio 
        Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East 
        Broadcasting Networks, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, or any 
        entity funded by or partnering with the United States Agency 
        for Global Media, including news and information related to the 
        People's Republic of China.
            ``(2) Establishment.--There is established a grantee 
        entity, which shall--
                    ``(A) be known as the 'Global News Service'; and
                    ``(B) carry out the functions set forth in 
                subsection (b).
    ``(b) Functions.--ln furtherance of the mission described in 
subsection (a)(1), the Global News Service--
            ``(1) shall seek to curate, translate, distribute, and make 
        available content about or related to the People's Republic of 
        China and the People's Republic of China's malign activities 
        globally, in coordination with Voice of America's and Radio 
        Free Asia's Mandarin Chinese language news service;
            ``(2) shall offer the content described in paragraph (1) in 
        Mandarin Chinese and in English for the purpose of making fact-
        based, uncensored China-related news available to news 
        organizations, independent journalists, and online content 
        creators around the world;
            ``(3) should prioritize making available the content 
        described in paragraph (1) to media outlets in countries that 
        are influenced by Chinese Communist Party controlled media;
            ``(4) shall ensure that--
                    ``(A) its Mandarin Chinese-language news service 
                targets the Chinese diaspora abroad; and
                    ``(B) its English-language news service targets 
                foreign media outlets seeking China-related stories in 
                English or other local languages; and
            ``(5) shall carry out any other effort consistent with the 
        purposes of this Act if such effort is requested or approved by 
        the United States Agency for Global Media.
    ``(c) Grant Agreement.--
            ``(1) In general.--Any grant agreement with, or grants made 
        to, the Global News Service under this section shall be subject 
        to the limitations and restrictions set forth in paragraphs (2) 
        through (7).
            ``(2) Headquarters.--The headquarters of the Global News 
        Service and its senior administrative and managerial staff 
        shall be in a location that ensures economy, operational 
        effectiveness, and accountability to the United States Agency 
        for Global Media.
            ``(3) Use of funds.--Grant funds may only be used for 
        activities that are consistent with this section. Failure to 
        comply with such requirement shall constitute a breach of 
        contract and termination of the grant without further fiscal 
        obligation by the United States.
            ``(4) Assumption of obligations by grantee.--Any contract 
        entered into by the Global News Service shall specify that all 
        obligations are assumed by the grantee and not by the United 
        States Government.
            ``(5) Lease agreements.--Any lease agreements entered into 
        by the Global News Service shall be, to the maximum extent 
        possible, assignable to the United States Government.
            ``(6) Administrative costs.--Administrative and managerial 
        costs for operation of the Global News Service should be kept 
        to a minimum and, to the maximum extent feasible, should not 
        exceed the costs that would have been incurred if the Global 
        News Service had been operated as a Federal entity.
            ``(7) Limitation.--Grant funds may not be used for any 
        activity the purpose of which is influencing the passage or 
        defeat of legislation considered by Congress.
    ``(d) Relationship to the United States Agency for Global Media.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Global News Service shall be subject 
        to the same oversight and governance by the United States 
        Agency for Global Media as other grantees in accordance with 
        section 305.
            ``(2) Assistance.--The United States Agency for Global 
        Media, its broadcast entities, and the Global News Service 
        should render assistance to each other to the extent necessary 
        to carry out the purposes of this section or any other 
        provision of this Act.
            ``(3) Not a federal agency or instrumentality.--Nothing in 
        this section may be construed to designate the Global News 
        Service as an agency or instrumentality of the Federal 
        Government.
    ``(e) Audit Authorities.--
            ``(1) In general.--Financial transactions of the Global 
        News Service relating to functions carried out under this 
        section may be audited by the Government Accountability Office 
        in accordance with such principles and procedures, and under 
        such rules and regulations, as may be prescribed by the 
        Comptroller General of the United States. Any such audit shall 
        be conducted at the place or places at which accounts of the 
        Global News Service are normally retained.
            ``(2) Access by the government accountability office.--The 
        Government Accountability Office shall have access to all 
        books, accounts, records, reports, files, papers, and property 
        belonging to or in use by the Global News Service pertaining to 
        financial transactions as may be necessary to facilitate an 
        audit. The Government Accountability Office shall be afforded 
        full facilities for verifying transactions with any assets held 
        by depositories, fiscal agents, and custodians. All such books, 
        accounts, records, reports, files, papers, and property of the 
        Global News Service shall remain in the possession and custody 
        of the Global News Service.
            ``(3) Exercise of authorities.--Notwithstanding any other 
        provision of law, the Inspector General of the Department of 
        State and the Foreign Service is authorized to exercise the 
        authorities set forth in chapter 4 of part I of title 5, United 
        States Code (formerly known as the `Inspector General Act of 
        1978') with respect to the Global News Service.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--The United States International 
Broadcasting Act of 1994 (title III of Public Law 103-236; 22 U.S.C. 
6201 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) in section 304(d) (22 U.S.C. 6203(d)), by inserting 
        ``the Global News Service,'' before ``the Middle East 
        Broadcasting Networks'';
            (2) in section 305 (22 U.S.C. 6204)--
                    (A) by moving subsection (c) so that it appears 
                immediately after subsection (b); and
                    (B) in subsection (c), by inserting ``the Global 
                News Service,'' before ``or the Middle East 
                Broadcasting Networks''; and
            (3) in section 310(d) (22 U.S.C. 6209(d)), by inserting 
        ``the Global News Service,'' before ``and the Middle East 
        Broadcasting Networks''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) 
shall take effect on January 1, 2025.

SEC. 8. INCREASING COORDINATION AND RESOURCES FOR CENSORSHIP 
              CIRCUMVENTION, SECURE SHARING, AND CONTENT CREATION 
              INITIATIVES.

    (a) Establishment of Interagency Task Force.--The President shall 
establish an interagency task force composed of representatives from 
the Department, National Security Council staff, and representatives 
from other Federal departments and agencies, as appropriate, as 
designated by the President.
    (b) Task Force Coordinator.--
            (1) Establishment.--The President shall appoint a 
        coordinator for the interagency task force established pursuant 
        to subsection (a).
            (2) Duties.--The Coordinator shall--
                    (A) convene and coordinate the work of the 
                interagency task force established pursuant to 
                subsection (a);
                    (B) oversee the development and execution of the 
                strategy described in section 6; and
                    (C) oversee the efforts of the Department described 
                in subsection (d), in consultation, as appropriate, 
                with relevant Department officials, including officials 
                reporting to--
                            (i) the Under Secretary of State for Public 
                        Diplomacy and Public Affairs;
                            (ii) the Assistant Secretary of State for 
                        Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor;
                            (iii) the Ambassador at Large for 
                        Cyberspace and Digital Policy; and
                            (iv) the Assistant Secretary of State for 
                        East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
    (c) Functions.--The interagency task force shall--
            (1) develop and execute the strategy described in section 
        6(a); and
            (2) increase the coordination, within the Department and 
        between relevant Federal departments and agencies, as 
        appropriate, of Mandarin Chinese-language content development 
        and dissemination, internet circumvention, and secure content-
        sharing tools specific to the PRC's censorship regime.
    (d) Department of State.--
            (1) In general.--The Department, in consultation with 
        relevant members of the interagency task force, shall oversee 
        the development of compelling, timely, and relevant Mandarin 
        Chinese-language content for a variety of audiences within the 
        PRC and the dissemination of such content through a variety of 
        tools and platforms within and outside the PRC.
            (2) Internet circumvention and secure content sharing.--The 
        Department, in coordination with relevant entities, other 
        Federal departments and agencies, and external experts, as 
        appropriate, shall seek to increase funding for programs and 
        open source software that expand upon and develop new tools for 
        internet circumvention and secure content sharing that are 
        specifically tailored to evade the PRC censorship apparatus, 
        including within the PRC, and improve immediate access to 
        independent information for the end users of such tools.
            (3) Media freedom, investigative journalism, and content 
        development.--The Department shall seek to increase funding for 
        media freedom, investigative journalism, and content 
        development initiatives, including by establishing and 
        expanding a network of individual and independent journalists 
        or media companies and social media influencers that 
        investigate and produce articles, reports, and other content 
        related to real-time social, political, and economic events in 
        the PRC--
                    (A) in which citizens of the PRC are directly 
                interested; and
                    (B) which can be accessed and amplified through a 
                variety of tools and platforms within and outside the 
                PRC digital ecosystem.
            (4) Increasing mandarin chinese-language content within the 
        great firewall and for citizens of the prc living abroad.--The 
        Department shall seek to increase the volume of--
                    (A) effective and high-quality Mandarin Chinese-
                language content for dissemination through Mission 
                China's social media and other content sharing 
                platforms;
                    (B) material that can be disseminated to citizens 
                of the PRC residing outside of the PRC and the PRC 
                censorship apparatus; and
                    (C) content that focuses on quality of life issues 
                in the United States that are directly relatable to 
                issues in the PRC, including issues related to food 
                safety, environmental sustainability, health care 
                delivery, economic security and the jobs market, the 
                investment climate, treatment of women, the treatment 
                of marginalized populations, and government 
                transparency.
            (5) Content development and surveying.--The Department 
        shall--
                    (A) increase and refine Mandarin Chinese-language 
                content directed towards citizens of the PRC residing 
                within or outside the PRC; and
                    (B) work with external organizations, as 
                appropriate, to regularly conduct credible, periodic 
                surveys to gauge and assess issues of domestic and 
                international importance to citizens of the PRC to 
                inform the work of the interagency task force 
                established pursuant to subsection (a) and the ongoing 
                iteration by the Department of effective, high-quality 
                Mandarin Chinese-language content.
    (e) United States Agency for Global Media.--
            (1) In general.--The USAGM and relevant Federal and non-
        Federal entities shall--
                    (A) carry out the actions described in paragraphs 
                (2) through (5); and
                    (B) work with independent content creators, citizen 
                journalists, and media organizations, as appropriate, 
                to curate, disseminate, and amplify the highest-impact 
                Mandarin Chinese-language content across USAGM entities 
                to citizens of the PRC.
            (2) Radio free asia.--
                    (A) In general.--Radio Free Asia, consistent with 
                its congressional mandate, shall--
                            (i) deliver independent, uncensored, PRC-
                        specific news and information in local 
                        languages to audiences in the PRC and in other 
                        countries; and
                            (ii) increase coverage and digital Mandarin 
                        Chinese-language programming on political, 
                        economic, and social issues in the PRC, 
                        including by--
                                    (I) expanding RFA's Mandarin 
                                Chinese-language platforms;
                                    (II) prioritizing instances of PRC 
                                disinformation about PRC-internal 
                                topics directed towards Chinese 
                                citizens through its bilingual Asia 
                                Fact Check Lab; and
                                    (III) providing insights to the 
                                interagency task force established 
                                pursuant to subsection (a) regarding--
                                            (aa) content development 
                                        strategies;
                                            (bb) priority topic areas 
                                        salient to citizens of the PRC; 
                                        and
                                            (cc) data about access to 
                                        and engagement with Mandarin 
                                        Chinese-language RFA content 
                                        among citizens of the PRC.
                    (B) Topics.--Topic areas at RFA's editorial 
                discretion referred to in subparagraph (A)(ii)(III)(bb) 
                should include--
                            (i) quality of life in the PRC; and
                            (ii) human rights, the rule of law, and 
                        good governance issues in the PRC that are 
                        relevant and important to broad segments of the 
                        population of the PRC.
            (3) Voice of america.--Voice of America shall, to the 
        extent appropriate--
                    (A) increase content of interest to citizens of the 
                PRC; and
                    (B) provide insights to the interagency task force 
                established pursuant to subsection (a) regarding--
                            (i) content development strategies;
                            (ii) priority topic areas salient to 
                        citizens of the PRC; and
                            (iii) data about access to and engagement 
                        with Mandarin Chinese-language VOA content 
                        among citizens of the PRC.
            (4) Open technology fund.--The Open Technology Fund shall--
                    (A) support the development and adoption of open 
                source circumvention and secure communications tools 
                that are tailored for use in the PRC;
                    (B) increase engagement with private sector 
                technology companies, universities, and other relevant 
                stakeholders to develop the next generation of internet 
                circumvention and secure content sharing tools that--
                            (i) are specifically tailored to the PRC's 
                        censorship regime; and
                            (ii) can rapidly increase access to and 
                        secure sharing of independent information;
                    (C) issue regular public solicitations for students 
                and other civil society groups in the United States and 
                in like-minded countries specializing in the 
                cybersecurity and technology fields to research and 
                develop the next generation of internet circumvention 
                and secure content sharing tools that directly target 
                the PRC censorship regime; and
                    (D) regularly consult with the interagency task 
                force established pursuant to subsection (a) regarding 
                matters related to the development and adoption of 
                circumvention and secure content sharing tools among 
                citizens of the PRC, and inform about research and 
                other technical needs related to circumvention of the 
                PRC censorship regime and secure content sharing.
            (5) Global news service.--The Global News Service shall--
                    (A) seek to curate, translate, distribute, and make 
                available content about or related to the People's 
                Republic of China and the People's Republic of China's 
                malign activities globally, in coordination with Voice 
                of America's and Radio Free Asia's Mandarin Chinese 
                language news service;
                    (B) offer such content in Mandarin Chinese and 
                English for the purpose of making fact-based, 
                uncensored China-related news available to news 
                organizations, independent journalists, and online 
                content creators around the world;
                    (C) prioritize making available such content to 
                media outlets in the countries that are influenced by 
                CCP state media; and
                    (D) target the Chinese diaspora abroad, through its 
                Mandarin Chinese language news service.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) Department of state.--There is authorized to be 
        appropriated to the Department, for each of the fiscal years 
        2025 through 2029, $25,000,000, which--
                    (A) shall be expended for ongoing and new programs 
                in furtherance of the strategy required under section 
                6(a) and the functions and objectives set forth in 
                subsections (c) and (d); and
                    (B) may be expended to contract with an external 
                organization with expertise in surveying populations in 
                the PRC and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
            (2) United states agency for global media.--There is 
        authorized to be appropriated to the USAGM, for each of the 
        fiscal years 2025 through 2029, $50,000,000, which shall be 
        expended--
                    (A) to carry out the functions of the Global News 
                Service, as set forth in section 309B of the United 
                States International Broadcasting Act of 1994, as added 
                in section 7(a); and
                    (B) for ongoing and new programs in pursuing the 
                objectives set forth in subsection (e).

SEC. 9. ADDRESSING THE LACK OF RECIPROCITY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES 
              AND THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA IN THE INFORMATION 
              SPACE.

    (a) Diplomatic Engagement.--In pursuing diplomatic engagement with 
the PRC, the Secretary of State should prioritize addressing the lack 
of reciprocity in access to the PRC internet and broader information 
space for United States Government, private sector, and nongovernmental 
stakeholders, particularly journalists, diplomats, researchers, 
academics, internet technology, and social media companies and 
nongovernmental organizations within the PRC.
    (b) Available Tools.--The President, in consultation with the 
Secretary of State, should consider all tools available to address the 
lack of reciprocity in access to the PRC internet and broader 
information space for United States Government, private sector, and 
nongovernmental stakeholders.
                                 <all>
```