A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a bill Wednesday (Feb. 24) that would track and address the impact of Chinese speech censorship and intimidation of Americans and U.S. businesses. The bill calls for the Biden administration to establish an interagency task force to develop a response strategy related to implementation.
Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida joined Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn of Texas, Democratic U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts ( Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) co-sponsored the bill.
“Being able to express yourself and have your voice heard is a basic human right, one that billions of people around the world cherish and one that billions of people aspire to,” Sen. Merkley, who will serve as chairman of the Congressional and Executive Committee on China (CECC), said in a statement. “We must track and address the impact of Chinese speech censorship and intimidation of Americans and our companies so that we can develop a strategy to safeguard this cornerstone of freedom and hold accountable those who suppress and undermine it.”
Senator Cornyn, another sponsor of the bill, said, “For years, the Chinese government has used political censorship as a weapon designed to intimidate and silence anyone who opposes them.”
He said the legislation would urge President Biden to take critical steps “to combat China’s rampant and dangerous censorship.”
The bill would require President Biden to establish an interagency task force known as the China Censorship Monitor and Action Group to develop and implement a strategy to better understand and respond to China’s The task force will prepare an annual report and report to Congress. The Task Force will produce an annual report and briefing to Congress. The task force will be chaired by a member of the National Security Council staff, with a vice chair from the National Economic Council and representatives from across the U.S. government.
In a statement, Senator Rubio said, “By highlighting Beijing‘s coercive measures against U.S. citizens and businesses, this interagency task force will bring to light the reach of the long arm of Chinese authoritarianism.”
In addition, the bill requires a nonpartisan research institute or federally funded research and development center to draft a report detailing key trends, patterns and methods of censorship and intimidation by the Chinese government and their impact on the United States.
In a statement, Senator Rubio said this information is critical to developing best practices for U.S. industries and companies, the U.S. government and individual Americans.
U.S. officials have long complained that the Chinese government has coerced U.S. companies and industries, including hotels, airlines and Hollywood, to take pro-Beijing positions and suppress opposing positions against China’s Communist Party.
Lawmakers had introduced a similar bill in 2019 but failed to make progress.
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