Ending China's Developing Nation Status Act
Bill: S.5190 | Sponsor: Sen. Romney, Mitt (R-UT)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Ending China's Developing Nation Status Act
This bill requires the Department of State to take actions to stop China from being classified as a developing nation by international organizations. (Generally, international organizations provide developing nations certain rights and beneficial treatment. For example, the World Trade Organization provides developing nations with so-called special and differential treatment, which includes measures that aim to increase trading opportunities for those nations.)
Under this bill, the State Department must advocate for international organizations to (1) change China's status from developing nation to developed nation, or (2) develop a mechanism to change China's status to developed nation if no mechanism currently exists.
The President may waive this requirement if doing so is in the national interest of the United States.

To end the treatment of the People's Republic of China as a developing 
                                nation.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ending China's Developing Nation 
Status Act''.

SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It should be the policy of the United States--
            (1) to refuse entering into any treaty in which the 
        People's Republic of China--
                    (A) is labeled a developing nation; or
                    (B) receives the benefits of a developing nation 
                under the terms of the treaty;
            (2) to oppose the labeling or treatment of the People's 
        Republic of China as a developing nation in each international 
        organization of which the United States and the People's 
        Republic of China are both current members; and
            (3) to pursue the labeling or treatment of the People's 
        Republic of China as a developed nation in each international 
        organization of which the United States and the People's 
        Republic of China are both current members.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
        ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
                Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
                of Representatives.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of State.

SEC. 4. REPORT ON THE LABELING OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA'S 
              DEVELOPMENT STATUS IN CURRENT TREATY NEGOTIATIONS.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to the appropriate committees 
of Congress identifying all current treaty negotiations in which--
            (1) the proposed treaty develops different standards for 
        the enforcement of the treaty based on the development status 
        of the member states of the treaty; and
            (2) the People's Republic of China is under consideration 
        for becoming a party to the treaty.

SEC. 5. MECHANISMS FOR CHANGING DEVELOPMENT STATUS.

    (a) In General.--In any international organization of which the 
United States and the People's Republic of China are both current 
members, the Secretary shall pursue--
            (1) changing the status of the People's Republic of China 
        from developing nation to developed nation if a mechanism 
        exists in such organization to make such status change; or
            (2) proposing the development of a mechanism described in 
        paragraph (1) to change the status of the People's Republic of 
        China in such organization from developing nation to developed 
        nation.
    (b) Waiver.--The President may waive the application of paragraph 
(1) or (2) of subsection (a) with respect to any international 
organization if the President notifies the appropriate committees of 
Congress that such a waiver is in the national interests of the United 
States.
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