The Senate on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to block businesses based in China from purchasing farmland in the United States and place new mandates on Americans investing in the country’s national security industries, taking the first legislative steps of the new Congress to counter Beijing’s espionage activities and curtail its economic power.
The provisions, which would need to clear the House to become law, are a far cry from more ambitious efforts to target China’s economy through export controls and undermine its intelligence gathering and influence operations in the United States through a TikTok ban or other restrictions.
But they represent a significant opening salvo for the Senate, where lawmakers have struggled for months to capitalize on widespread enthusiasm on Capitol Hill for taking action against China.
By broad bipartisan margins, senators voted to add the measures to the annual defense policy bill.
A second, which was approved 91 to 6, would require Americans to notify the Treasury Department within 14 days of making any investments in the national security industries of those four countries, including artificial intelligence, semiconductors and hypersonics production.
Persons:
Jon Tester
Organizations:
Senate, Capitol, China, Treasury Department
Locations:
China, United States, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Montana