"Enhance Influence of Technical Standards" US Congress Follows Biden to Check China

Democratic and Republican Senators Jointly Propose Bill to Strengthen Involvement in International Technology Standards Organizations

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] In line with the Biden administration's tough stance on China, the U.S. Congress is also continuously introducing bills to counter China.

According to the political news outlet The Hill, Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez and Republican Senator Rob Portman introduced a bill on the 30th (local time) aimed at enhancing U.S. competitiveness and curbing China's influence in the process of setting new technology standards.

The bill establishes a task force (TF) within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop long-term plans for evaluating standards of technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence.

The TF will include not only federal agencies but also representatives from academia and industry. The ultimate goal, The Hill explained, is to strengthen U.S. involvement in international organizations that set technology standards, thereby limiting China's role.

Senator Cortez emphasized that the bill helps the U.S. maintain its international leadership in technology standard setting, calling it "a bill that strengthens America's technology industry and protects jobs."

Senator Portman stressed that technology standard setting is critically important to America's global competitiveness, pointing out, "While China has significantly increased its membership, unfortunately, the U.S. has fallen behind in participating in international organizations that set new technology standards."

He added, "This bill will ensure that the standard-setting process is neutral, industry-led, and focused on sound technical decisions rather than protectionism."

Last year, Senators Cortez and Portman also introduced a bill to prevent intellectual property theft, which was included in the National Defense Authorization Act containing the defense budget.

In the U.S. Congress, bills directly targeting the blocking of China's influence are being actively pursued.

Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Republican ranking member Senator James Risch introduced the bipartisan 'Strategic Competition Act' earlier this month, encompassing measures to counter China.

Also earlier this month, bipartisan bills were introduced in both the Senate and House aimed at competing with China, providing $100 million to support U.S. research and development of new technologies, with President Biden expressing his support, The Hill reported.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.