I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8683 

To require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State to monitor 

efforts by the People’s Republic of China to build or buy strategic 

foreign ports, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 11, 2024 

Mr. HUIZENGA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of 

State to monitor efforts by the People’s Republic of 

China to build or buy strategic foreign ports, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. MAPPING AND STRATEGY REQUIRED. 

4 (a) MAPPING.—The Secretary of Defense and the 

5 Secretary of State shall jointly develop and maintain an 

6 updated global mapping of strategic ports identified to be 

7 of importance to the United States, because of a capability 


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•HR 8683 IH

1 to provide military, diplomatic, economic, trade, or re2 source exploration superiority, and any efforts by the Gov3 ernment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to build 

4 or buy such ports. 

5 (b) STRATEGY.—Not later than 180 days after the 

6 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 

7 and the Secretary of State shall jointly submit to Congress 

8 a strategy to counter the efforts by the PRC described 

9 in subsection (a) and ensure that the strategic ports 

10 mapped pursuant to such subsection are built, owned, con11 trolled, and managed by the United States or by govern12 ments friendly to the United States. Such strategy shall 

13 also include the following— 

14 (1) An identification of the commercial, mili15 tary, and dual-use capabilities of ports owned, con16 structed, or operated by Chinese entities. 

17 (2) An identification of potential military capa18 bilities, including physical limitations and construc19 tion specifications such as berth, in number and 

20 length, draft, deep-water level, availability of trans21 portation networks and fueling stations, and quay. 

22 (3) An identification and analysis of ongoing 

23 PRC port projects, suspended projects, and canceled 

24 projects. 


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1 (4) An identification and analysis of non-PRC2 owned or -operated ports that use PRC-manufac3 tured, critical port infrastructure. 

4 (5) An identification and analysis of non-PRC5 owned or -operated ports that have been the victims 

6 of cyber attacks originating inside or by the direc7 tion of the PRC. 

8 (c) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It shall be the policy 

9 of each relevant Federal department and agency to— 

10 (1) identify and encourage ways in which col11 laboration between various development finance op12 tions, such as the Export-Import Bank, the United 

13 States International Development Finance Corpora14 tion, the United States Agency for International De15 velopment, and others, can be used to thwart Chi16 nese investment in— 

17 (A) strategic ports; 

18 (B) countries that have currently have 

19 strategic ports; or 

20 (C) countries that have the capability of 

21 hosting strategic ports; and 

22 (2) report to Congress on efforts and progress 

23 made in such collaboration and in successfully 

24 thwarting such investments. 

Æ 


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