The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has passed the Strategic Competition Act, a bill meant to ensure that Washington can cope with economic and security challenges posed by China.
The committee passed the “Strategic Competition Act of 2021” by a vote of 21-1 on Wednesday.
The bill, introduced by Democratic senator Robert Menendez and Republican senator Jim Risch, will now be submitted to the 100-member Senate for consideration.
Speaking at a committee meeting, Menendez said he hopes the bill will enable the United States to “finally meet the China challenge across every dimension of power--political, diplomatic, economic, innovation, military and even cultural.”
The bill also supports closer ties to Taiwan and “the military investments necessary to achieve United States political objectives in the Indo-Pacific.”