S.Res. 716

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 716 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 716

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding critical elements of the 
United States policy towards the People's Republic of China.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

April 30, 2026

Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Ricketts, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Cruz, Mr. 
Kaine, Mr. Moreno, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Kim, Mr. McCormick, Ms. 
Duckworth, Mr. Banks, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Young, Mr. Wicker, and Ms. 
Slotkin) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding critical elements of the 
United States policy towards the People's Republic of China.

Whereas the People's Republic of China is the foremost rival and strategic 
competitor of the United States that has the intent and capacity to 
undermine the security, economic prosperity, and strategic interests of 
the United States and the allies and partners of the United States;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has rapidly modernized and expanded its 
military in a manner that--

(1) poses direct threats to the security and economic prosperity of the 
United States, including by expanding its arsenal of nuclear, maritime, 
conventional long-range strike, cyber, space, and intelligence 
capabilities;

(2) aims to project power and deter the United States presence in the 
Indo-Pacific region;

(3) facilitates intensified coercive military and illegal, coercive, 
aggressive, and deceptive activities (also known as ``gray zone 
activities'') that--

G (A) threaten the security and sovereignty of countries in the 
Indo-Pacific region; and

G (B) compromise freedom of navigation in vital lanes of commerce, 
such as the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait;

(4) aims to give the People's Republic of China the capability to carry 
out its threat to alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait by coercion or 
force, including by delaying or denying third-party involvement in a Taiwan 
Strait contingency; and

(5) supports United States adversaries, such as the Islamic Republic of 
Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the Russian 
Federation, including through the sharing of military technology and 
materiel;

Whereas the People's Republic of China employs a wide range of state-directed 
economic and industrial policies designed to--

(1) disadvantage United States workers, firms, and long-term economic 
competitiveness;

(2) secure dominance in strategic industries; and

(3) distort global markets, including by--

G (A) exploiting its position across global supply chains, such as 
critical minerals, advanced manufacturing inputs, and other strategic 
goods;

G (B) forcing technology transfers;

G (C) engaging in intellectual property theft;

G (D) creating market distortions;

G (E) imposing expansive export controls; and

G (F) establishing barriers to market access;

Whereas the People's Republic of China is working--

(1) to surpass the United States in the development of critical 
emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and quantum 
computing, which will define twenty-first century economic and military 
power; and

(2) to use such technologies--

G (A) to expand the reach and range of their offensive military 
capabilities; and

G (B) to conduct widespread cyber operations, including operations 
targeting the United States and its partners;

Whereas the People's Republic of China continues to be the primary source of 
precursor chemicals used by transnational criminal organizations to 
synthesize illicit substances (including illicit fentanyl and nitazenes) 
that harm communities in the United States;
Whereas the People's Republic of China leverages international institutions and 
regional organizations, including standards-setting bodies and technical 
governance frameworks, in ways that--

(1) give an unfair advantage to Chinese firms;

(2) embed technologies and rules preferred by the People's Republic of 
China in global markets to the disadvantage of companies in the United 
States and allied countries seeking to compete in strategic sectors; and

(3) obstruct Taiwan's participation in global forums; and

Whereas the People's Republic of China is an authoritarian state that--

(1) restricts and suppresses human rights, religious and ethnic 
minority groups, civil society, and free speech and media; and

(2) engages in a sophisticated global campaign of transnational 
repression: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the United States 
should--
(1) address the security, economic, technological, 
diplomatic, and strategic threats posed by the People's 
Republic of China as the foremost priorities of United States 
foreign policy;
(2) sustain and strengthen deterrence against the People's 
Republic of China and enhance the capacity of the United 
States--
(A) to defend its interests;
(B) to support freedom of navigation; and
(C) to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-
Pacific region, including in the Taiwan Strait and the 
South China Sea;
(3) protect United States economic interests against the 
predatory economic and trade practices of the People's Republic 
of China, including by--
(A) strengthening export controls and closing 
loopholes;
(B) restricting investments in strategic industries 
in the United States;
(C) enforcing forced labor restrictions; and
(D) imposing costs to offset state-subsidized 
entities and goods;
(4) dominate the artificial intelligence and other 
foundational technologies sectors compared to the People's 
Republic of China and other peer and near-peer competitors;
(5) reaffirm the ironclad United States commitment to, and 
support for, United States treaty allies in the Indo-Pacific 
region, which stand at the frontlines of the People's Republic 
of China's aggression, increased defense spending to deter such 
aggression, and provide vital basing for United States forces, 
including--
(A) Japan, consistent with the Treaty of Mutual 
Cooperation and Security Between the United States of 
America and Japan, signed at Washington, January 19, 
1960;
(B) South Korea, consistent with the Mutual Defense 
Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of 
Korea, signed at Washington, October 1, 1953;
(C) Australia, consistent with the Security Treaty 
between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States 
of America, signed at San Francisco, September, 1951, 
and through the partnership among Australia, the United 
Kingdom, and United States (commonly known as 
``AUKUS'');
(D) the Philippines, consistent with the Mutual 
Defense Treaty between the United States and the 
Philippines, signed at Washington, August 30, 1951; and
(E) trilateral cooperation between United States 
allies in the Indo-Pacific region, including among--
(i) the United States, Japan, and South 
Korea;
(ii) the United States, Japan, and the 
Philippines; and
(iii) the United States, Japan, and 
Australia;
(6) preserve peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait 
and maintain the longstanding United States policy on Taiwan, 
guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (Public Law 96-8; 22 
U.S.C. 3301 et seq.), the Three Joint Communiques between the 
United States and the People's Republic of China, and the Six 
Assurances between the United States and Taiwan;
(7) strengthen support for United States partners in the 
Indo-Pacific region, including partners facing military, 
economic, and gray-zone coercion from the People's Republic of 
China, including by--
(A) broadening United States engagement with India, 
including through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue;
(B) advancing United States partnerships with 
countries comprising the Association of Southeast Asian 
Nations; and
(C) working with Pacific island countries to 
support their resilience and prosperity;
(8) mitigate the leadership and influence of the People's 
Republic of China in multilateral organizations, technical 
bodies, and international standards-setting institutions to 
prevent the adoption of rules or standards that disadvantage 
the interests of the United States or of its partners; and
(9) advance the democratic norms and values that promote 
human rights, openness, and the flourishing of civil society in 
the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, in accordance with United 
States laws, such as Public Law 117-78 (commonly referred to as 
the ``Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act'') and the Asia 
Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-409; 22 
U.S.C. 3301 note).
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