Congressmen Introduce TRAIN and BRIDGE Acts to Counter China's Influence

Legislation Introduced to Address China's Expanding Global Influence

WASHINGTON, DC – In a strategic move to counter China's global economic reach, Congressman Scott Fitzgerald from Wisconsin's 5th District has introduced two significant legislative bills. Collaborating with Congressman Zach Nunn of Iowa's 3rd District, Fitzgerald aims to fortify U.S. policies against foreign adversaries with the Thwarting Regional Adversary Investments Now (TRAIN) Act and the Build Responsible Infrastructure Development for the Global Economy (BRIDGE) Act.

The TRAIN Act is designed to assist allied governments in navigating potential legal and financial pitfalls associated with accepting Chinese investments. This legislative action comes amidst China's extensive use of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to exert its influence through infrastructure lending and long-term financial commitments in developing nations. To date, over 150 countries and 32 international organizations have engaged with China through BRI, spanning sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Central Asia, and East Asia and the Pacific. This year alone, BRI engagements have reached an estimated $213.5 billion in contracts and investments, with the entire initiative's engagements nearing $1.4 trillion since its inception in 2013.

The BRIDGE Act asserts that it is U.S. policy to counter the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ambitions to establish a new global economic and political order dominated by Beijing. The Act calls for a detailed report to Congress, prepared by the Secretary of State in collaboration with the Secretary of Commerce, the CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, and other relevant bodies, within 180 days. This report will evaluate how BRI activities could potentially undermine the U.S.-led international framework.

Despite the United States' existing initiatives, like the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, a cohesive, government-wide strategy specifically targeting BRI has yet to be fully realized.

“China has turned the Belt and Road Initiative into a weapon of economic coercion, building leverage through debt, controlling critical infrastructure, and pulling countries deeper into Beijing’s orbit,” noted Representative Fitzgerald. “The TRAIN Act helps countries avoid walking into those traps in the first place, and the BRIDGE Act ensures the United States is better positioned to address this challenge.”

“China has spent decades buying up the ports, power grids, and trade routes of developing nations, trapping them in debt and rigging the global market in their favor,” commented Representative Nunn. “That hits Iowa directly: our farmers and manufacturers compete to feed and supply the world, and they can’t win on a field Beijing is tilting in their own favor. Our bills would give the United States a coordinated, whole-of-government strategy to counter China’s invest-to-control strategy of economic coercion, help partner nations walk away from a bad deal with Beijing, and keep the playing field fair for Iowa.”

These legislative proposals form part of a comprehensive strategy by Rep. Fitzgerald aimed at curbing China's expanding economic and strategic clout, with further legislative measures anticipated in the near future.