Drones
Another bill would bar new drones from the Chinese manufacturer DJI from operating on U.S. communications infrastructure, citing national security risks that the company has rejected.
DJI, which sells more than half of all drones in the U.S., said in May that lawmakers had “amplified xenophobic narratives in a quest to support local drone manufacturers and eliminate market competition.” It added that the move would hurt not just American hobbyists but also a “broad ecosystem of operators, businesses and public safety agencies.”
China said the U.S. should “stop suppressing Chinese companies under various pretexts.”
A new ‘China Initiative’
Lawmakers were more divided over an effort to revive the Justice Department’s “China Initiative,” a Trump-era national security program meant to counter intellectual property theft at universities and research institutions. Asian American advocacy groups said the program unfairly targeted ethnic Chinese scientists and upended their lives, and it ended in 2022 after a string of failed prosecutions.
The measure passed in the House 237-180.
Foreign farmland purchases
Another bill that raised discrimination concerns would limit the sale of agricultural land to foreign nationals from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. Supporters said it would improve oversight of foreign farmland purchases, including those near sensitive sites.
A review by NBC News found that the total amount of U.S. agricultural land owned by Chinese interests is less than three-hundredths of 1%.
Electric vehicles
Lawmakers narrowly passed a measure that would tighten the definition of Chinese components that disqualify vehicles from receiving U.S. EV tax credits. Opponents argued that it would slow U.S. efforts to get more EVs on its roads as part of the broader transition to green technology.
Though China is a world leader in the manufacture of electric vehicles and dominates the supply chain for EV batteries, very few of its EVs are sold in the U.S. In May, Biden announced that the tariff on Chinese EVs would increase from 27.5% to 100%.
Scientific cooperation
Lawmakers passed a bill that would require congressional notification before the renewal or extension of the Science and Technology Agreement (STA) or the creation, renewal or extension of any similar agreement with China.
“For too long, the Chinese Communist Party has exploited these partnerships to gain access to sensitive technologies that could threaten our national security,” Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., said after the bill’s passage.
The STA, the first accord between the U.S. and China after they normalized diplomatic relations in 1979, expired on Aug. 27 after two six-month extensions. Supporters say the pact’s lapse would hinder academic cooperation and could imperil U.S.-China government collaboration in areas such as climate change and public health.
Janis Mackey Frayer reported from Beijing, and Mithil Aggarwal and Peter Guo reported from Hong Kong.
