Bill Details
S.777 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-02-27 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Introduced Date
2025-02-27
Policy Area
International Affairs
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
Cosponsors
View cosponsors (2)
6
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would require the State Department and the Defense Department to keep track of important ports around the world and report on efforts by China and Chinese entities to build, buy, or control those ports. The goal is to help Congress understand which ports matter most to U.S. security and the economy, how China is trying to gain influence over them, and what the United States can do to protect open access, reduce risks, and support safer investment in port and maritime infrastructure.
- The bill directs the State Department, working with the Defense Department, to create an updated global map of foreign and U.S. ports that are important to the United States for military, diplomatic, economic, or resource reasons.
- It also requires them to identify any efforts by China or Chinese-linked entities to build, buy, or otherwise control those strategic ports.
- Within one year, the departments must submit a report to Congress. The report must list known strategic ports tied to China and the United States, explain security and economic risks, and describe weaknesses that could make ports easier to influence or disrupt.
- The report must also recommend a strategy to protect strategic ports, including ways to secure trusted investment, replace Chinese-made products used in port operations if needed, improve transparency, and identify funding sources such as private money, loans, loan guarantees, and tax incentives.
Official Summaries
Strategic Ports Reporting Act
This bill requires the Department of State to conduct a study and submit a report to Congress on strategic ports.
The report shall contain various elements related to such ports, including (1) a detailed list of all strategic ports owned, operated, or controlled by China or a foreign person of China; (2) a detailed list of all strategic ports owned, operated, or controlled by the United States or a U.S. person; (3) an assessment of the national security and economic interests relevant to each such port; (4) an analysis of actions by China to gain control or ownership of strategic ports; and (5) courses of action to protect strategic ports and maritime infrastructure from Chinese control.
The bill also requires the State Department to develop and provide to Congress a global mapping of foreign and domestic ports of importance to the United States because of a capability to provide military, diplomatic, economic, or resource exploitation superiority.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 777 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 777
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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 27, 2025
Mr. Budd (for himself, Mr. Kelly, and Mr. Scott of Florida) introduced
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
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.
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 ``Strategic Ports Reporting Act''.
SEC. 2. MAPPING AND STRATEGY REQUIRED.
(a) Mapping of Global Ports.--The Secretary of State, in
coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall--
(1) develop an updated, global mapping of foreign and
domestic ports identified to be of importance to the United
States, because of a capability to provide military,
diplomatic, economic, or resource exploration superiority; and
(2) identify any efforts by the Government of the People's
Republic of China (in this Act referred to as the ``PRC'') or
other PRC entities to build, buy, or otherwise control,
directly or indirectly, such ports.
(b) Submission of Map.--The Secretary of State, in coordination
with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit the mapping developed
pursuant to subsection (a) to the appropriate congressional committees.
Such submission shall be in unclassified form, but may include a
classified annex.
SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE STUDY AND REPORT
ON STRATEGIC PORTS.
(a) Study Required.--The Secretary of State, in coordination with
the Secretary of Defense, shall conduct a study of--
(1) strategic ports;
(2) the reasons such ports are of interest to the United
States;
(3) the activities and plans of the Government of the PRC
to expand its control over strategic ports outside of the PRC;
(4) the public and private actors, such as China Ocean
Shipping Company, that are executing and supporting the
activities and plans of the Government of the PRC to expand its
control over strategic ports outside of the PRC;
(5) the activities and plans of the Government of the PRC
to expand its control over maritime logistics by promoting
products, such as LOGINK, and setting industry standards
outside the PRC;
(6) how the control by the Government of the PRC over
strategic ports outside of the PRC could harm the national
security or economic interests of the United States and allies
and partners of the United States; and
(7) measures the United States Government could take to
ensure open access and security for strategic ports and offer
alternatives to PRC investments or stakes in strategic ports.
(b) Conduct of Study.--The Secretary of State and the Secretary of
Defense may enter into an arrangement with a federally funded research
and development center under which the center shall conduct the study
required under subsection (a).
(c) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in
coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report on the findings
of the study conducted under subsection (a).
(2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall
include--
(A) a detailed list of all known strategic ports
operated, controlled, or owned, directly or indirectly,
by the PRC or by a foreign person of the PRC, and an
assessment of the national security and economic
interests relevant to each such port;
(B) a detailed list of all known strategic ports
operated, controlled, or owned, directly or indirectly,
by the United States or United States persons and an
assessment of the national security and economic
interests relevant to each such port;
(C) an assessment of vulnerabilities of--
(i) ports operated, controlled, or owned,
directly or indirectly, by the United States;
and
(ii) strategic ports;
(D) an analysis of the activities and actions of
the Government of the PRC to gain control or ownership
over strategic ports, including promoting products,
such as LOGINK, and setting industry standards;
(E) an assessment of how the Government of the PRC
plans to expand its control over strategic ports
outside of the PRC;
(F) a suggested strategy, developed in consultation
with the heads of the relevant United States Government
offices, that suggests courses of action to secure
trusted investment and ownership of strategic ports and
maritime infrastructure, protect such ports and
infrastructure from PRC control, and ensure open access
and security for such ports, that includes--
(i) a list of relevant existing authorities
that can be used to carry out the strategy;
(ii) a list of any additional authorities
necessary to carry out the strategy;
(iii) an assessment of products owned by
the Government of the PRC or by an entity
headquartered in the PRC that are used in
connection with strategic ports or maritime
infrastructure;
(iv) an assessment of the costs to--
(I) secure such trusted investment
and ownership;
(II) replace products owned by the
Government of the PRC or an entity
headquartered in the PRC that are used
in connection with such ports; and
(III) enhance transparency around
the negative impacts of PRC control
over strategic ports; and
(v) a list of funding sources to secure
trusted investment and ownership of strategic
ports, which shall include--
(I) an identification of private
funding sources; and
(II) an identification of public
funding sources, including loans, loan
guarantees, and tax incentives;
(G) a suggested strategy for Federal agencies to
maintain an up-to-date list of strategic ports; and
(H) an assessment of any national security threat
posed by such investments or activities to United
States diplomatic and defense personnel and facilities
in the vicinity of such ports, including through cyber
threats, electronically enabled espionage, or other
means.
(3) Form of report.--The report required by paragraph (1)
shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a
classified annex.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, the Committee on Energy and Commerce,
the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation, the Committee on Armed Services, the
Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Select
Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
(2) Relevant united states government offices.--The term
``relevant United States Government offices'' means--
(A) the Unified Combatant Commands;
(B) the Office of the Secretary of Defense;
(C) the Office of the Secretary of State;
(D) the United States International Development
Finance Corporation;
(E) the Office of the Director of National
Intelligence; and
(F) the Maritime Administration of the Department
of Transportation.
(3) Strategic port.--The term ``strategic port'' means an
international port or waterway that the heads of the relevant
United States Government offices determine is critical to the
national security or economic prosperity of the United States.
<all>