- Bipartisan senators have introduced the Securing Partner Supply Chains Act to counter China’s influence over critical industries
- The bill aims to establish a State Department-led foreign investment screening initiative modeled on CFIUS
- The partner nations would receive training, technical assistance and regulatory support to strengthen investment oversight
Sens. John Curtis, R-Utah, and Tim Kaine, D-Va., have introduced bipartisan legislation to help U.S. allies and partners strengthen foreign investment screening, safeguard critical infrastructure and reduce China’s influence over global supply chains.
What Would the Securing Partner Supply Chains Act Do?
The Securing Partner Supply Chains Act would create a Department of State-led Initiative on Foreign Investment Screening to support the development of foreign investment screening mechanisms modeled after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS.
Under the proposal, participating governments would receive technical assistance, training, regulatory guidance and coordination support to strengthen protections for critical infrastructure, supply chains and other sensitive sectors against malign foreign investment.
Why Did Senators Introduce the Bill?
According to the lawmakers, many U.S. allies and partners, particularly in the Western Hemisphere, lack sufficient safeguards to screen foreign investment in strategic industries. The senators said those gaps leave ports, critical infrastructure and supply chains vulnerable to adversarial foreign investment, particularly from China.
Curtis said the legislation would help partner countries identify and prevent malign foreign investment before it undermines economic security and shared interests. Kaine added that strengthening investment screening abroad would help prevent China from gaining control of infrastructure and supply chains relied upon by the U.S. and its allies.
The legislation reflects broader congressional efforts to reduce China’s influence over strategic supply chains. In January 2024, House lawmakers called for stronger trade measures, including tariffs, to curb China’s dominance in legacy semiconductor manufacturing.
