Kaine & Curtis Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Secure Supply Chains, Counter China

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and John Curtis (R-UT), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the Securing Partner Supply Chains Act, bipartisan legislation to secure supply chains and counter China's growing influence. There is a significant gap in ability among the U.S. and its partners, particularly in the Western Hemisphere, to adequately screen foreign investment into critical sectors. The lack of safeguards leaves supply chains, ports, and critical infrastructure open to strategic acquisition and exploitation by China and other adversaries. For example, Chinese state-owned enterprises operate port facilities in Mexico, Brazil, and Panama, and the Chinese government has invested heavily in critical mineral sectors in countries like Bolivia. The legislation would help U.S. allies and partners build tools to protect critical infrastructure, supply chains, and sensitive sectors from malign foreign investment and strategic influence operations.

"It's critical for U.S. national security that our partners and allies have safeguards in place to adequately screen foreign investments, especially as China continues to expand its global footprint," said Kaine. "This bipartisan legislation would help our partners and allies build their own capacity to screen foreign investments and protect their economies, and help ensure China isn't able to control critical infrastructure and supply chains that the U.S. and our partners and allies rely on."

"The Chinese Communist Party is using economic coercion to gain influence over critical industries and infrastructure around the world, and the United States cannot afford to confront these challenges alone," said Curtis. "Our bipartisan bill will help our allies and partners develop the tools they need to identify and stop malign foreign investment before it threatens economic security or other shared interests."

Specifically, the Securing Partner Supply Chains Act would:

• Establish a State Department-led Initiative on Foreign Investment Screening to help U.S. allies and partners develop investment screening mechanisms similar to CFIUS.
• Provide technical assistance, training, regulatory guidance, and coordination support to partner governments seeking to protect critical infrastructure, supply chains, and sensitive sectors from malign foreign investment.
• Strengthen U.S. national security and economic resilience by helping partner countries identify and mitigate strategic investments tied to adversarial actors, particularly the People's Republic of China.

Full text of the legislation is available here.

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