These measures seek to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from purchasing batteries from Chinese companies while also establishing a working group to monitor and counter threats posed by China.
The US House of Representatives has passed two bills aimed at curbing Chinese influence, specifically targeting battery production and national security threats. These measures seek to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from purchasing batteries from Chinese companies while also establishing a working group to monitor and counter threats posed by China, according to a report by Voice of America (VOA).
On March 10, the House approved the Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act (HR1166) through a voice vote. The bill was passed under a suspension of House rules, a fast-track legislative procedure typically used for non-controversial measures with bipartisan backing.
Introduced by Republican Representative Carlos Gimenez, the legislation prohibits the Department of Homeland Security from procuring batteries from six Chinese companies: Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd., BYD Co., Ltd., Envision Energy Co., Ltd., EVE Energy Co., Ltd., Haichen Energy Storage Technology Co., Ltd., and Guoxuan High-tech Power Energy Co., Ltd.
China currently manufactures approximately 80 per cent of the world’s batteries and about 75 per cent of lithium-ion batteries, making global automakers significantly dependent on Chinese suppliers.
Speaking on the bill, Representative Gimenez emphasised the need for the US to detach itself from reliance on China in critical industries. “As communist China seeks to gain influence in key global industries, the United States must be at the forefront of confronting and decoupling from the CCP,” he stated. “As we become increasingly dependent on battery technology, we need to ensure that those batteries come from non-hostile countries.”
Democratic Representative Chris Craia of California echoed this sentiment, stating, “This bill will confront our global adversaries and grow our industrial manufacturing base here in America. We cannot give the Chinese Communist Party any opportunity to undermine our homeland security.”
China’s dominance in electric vehicle battery production has become a growing point of geopolitical tension with the United States. China currently manufactures approximately 80 per cent of the world’s batteries and about 75 per cent of lithium-ion batteries, making global automakers significantly dependent on Chinese suppliers. Despite the financial challenges of reshoring production, US lawmakers continue to push for policies that reduce reliance on China for critical energy components.
The bills now await consideration in the Senate.
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Ban on Student Visas for Chinese
Republican lawmakers in the US House of Representatives are advancing legislation aimed at barring Chinese nationals from obtaining student visas, citing concerns over national security and intellectual property theft, Fox News reported.
US Representative Riley Moore has been vocal about what he perceives as the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) misuse of the US student visa programme, arguing that it has been exploited to facilitate espionage. He is set to introduce the Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia Act, or the Stop CCP Visas Act, on Friday.
The bill is currently being circulated for co-sponsors, with expected support from Representatives Andy Ogles, Scott Perry, and Brandon Gill.
“Every year, we allow nearly 300,000 Chinese nationals to come to the US on student visas. We’ve literally invited the CCP to spy on our military, steal our intellectual property, and threaten national security,” Moore stated.
He cited a case in which five Chinese nationals on student visas were charged by the FBI after allegedly photographing joint US-Taiwan live-fire military exercises. “This cannot continue,” he said, urging Congress to take action against what he calls China’s exploitation of the student visa programme.
Moore has called for an outright ban on student visas for Chinese nationals, asserting, “It’s time we turn off the spigot and immediately ban all student visas going to Chinese nationals.”
His concerns stem from a recent case involving five former students from the University of Michigan, who graduated from a joint programme with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. These individuals have been accused of spying on a National Guard facility in Michigan during a training operation with the Taiwanese military. According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court on October 1, a sergeant major of the Utah National Guard confronted them in August 2023.
Moore’s proposal is expected to face opposition from Asian American and progressive advocacy groups. In the past, Asian Americans Advancing Justice criticised Senator Tom Cotton for a similar proposal restricting Chinese nationals from studying in the US.
The bill’s fate now depends on whether it garners enough support in Congress to advance to a vote.
