West OC Times

On July 14, the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) containing Rep. Michelle Steel’s (R-CA) legislation to prevent Chinese Communist Party (CCP) espionage on the U.S. military and supply chain and two amendments to combat the expansion of CCP influence passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support.

“As the CCP continues to grow in hostility towards democracy around the world, the United States must strategically combat their bid to suppress freedom and human rights,” said Steel. “This NDAA ends the CCP’s 15 year long espionage campaign by banning the DOD use of the state-owned platform LOGINK and takes important steps in protecting Taiwan and global trade. I am proud to help deter further CCP aggression, and I will never stop in my work to protect democracy at home and abroad.”

The “Securing Maritime Data from Communist China Act,” bans the free, Chinese state-owned logistics platform LOGINK from being used by U.S. military or commercial interests at ports at home or abroad. It also mandates the Administration to work with our allies around the world to end their use of LOGINK. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has the ability to use the platform to track U.S. commercial and military ships, giving the CCP unprecedented insight into the supply chains of the U.S. and our allies. This is a serious national security threat with far reaching implications as competition and tensions with China continue to rise.

Rep. Steel’s first amendment included language to require the Department of Defense (DOD) to provide a study on the defense needs of Taiwan and the potential loan and lease of defense articles to the Government of Taiwan.

Rep. Steel’s second amendment requires the DOD to report on Chinese influence in commercial sea lines of communication and threats posed to strategic maritime routes in African Atlantic ports.

Background

Overseen by China’s Ministry of Transportation, LOGINK has been in operation since 2007. Concerns surrounding LOGINK are similar to those raised regarding Huawei and ZTE, which Congress banned U.S. agencies from using in 2019.

The “Securing Maritime Data from Communist China Act” would:

• Ban all DoD usage & DoD contracts with entities using or shares data with the platform
• Require the President to prohibit entities in the United States from using or sharing data with LOGINK
• Require the Administration to report on the threat of LOGINK including a report on U.S. port bans
• Work with international partners to stop its use, and preventing its inclusion in any economic/trade package

Rep. Steel’s second amendment requiring the DOD to report on Chinese influence in African Atlantic ports will investigate:

• China’s commercial sea lines of communication, particularly those linking China to the African Atlantic ports
• Increasing Chinese military presence on the African continent
• Displaced United States influence in the Southern Atlantic

China’s status as gaining influence and threats posed to strategic maritime routes.

Economy and Jobs Foreign Affairs

Original source can be found here.