Chair Cardin Introduces Blueprint to Strengthen U.S. Leadership in Competition with China

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced the Realizing Economic and Strategic Objectives while Leading with Values and Engagement (RESOLVE) Act of 2024, comprehensive legislation that makes generational investments in U.S. strategic, economic, and diplomatic tools to confront the global strategic challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It empowers our nation’s diplomatic and development agencies to confront the challenges that the PRC poses to U.S. national and economic security by setting a proactive agenda for American leadership in diplomatic and economic efforts abroad.

“The RESOLVE Act sets the stage for Congress and our nation to counter the PRC’s growing influence, strengthen alliances, and maintain U.S. leadership in this pivotal moment,” said Chair Cardin. “Investing in military capabilities alone is not enough. To remain competitive, we must bolster our foreign policy, enhance public diplomacy, and build coalitions with international partners. The RESOLVE Act reflects shared priorities across the aisle and should serve as a foundation for bipartisan action in the future.”

Key provisions of the RESOLVE Act include:

• Creating tools to counter PRC economic coercion, including establishing an economic coercion defense fund and providing authorities to respond to PRC economic threats against foreign partners
• Providing authorities to counter PRC aggression against Taiwan
• Strengthening U.S. economic engagement and infrastructure development tools by supporting foreign partners in establishing foreign investment screening procedures akin to the U.S. Committee for Foreign Investments in the United States to guard against PRC predatory economic practices
• Authorizing investments in global infrastructure
• Promoting human rights and U.S. public diplomacy to counter Chinese Communist Party propaganda by supporting human rights programming within the PRC, tracking technology-enabled transnational repression globally, authorizing appropriations to promote public reporting on corruption, and enhancing efforts to fight PRC disinformation
• Modernizing the State Department for an era of strategic competition

Full text of the RESOLVE Act is available HERE.

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