US senators asked to draft legislative package to 'outcompete' China, invest in alliances like India

Washington, February 24

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has asked his Democratic colleagues to draft a legislative package to “outcompete” China, create new American jobs and invest in strategic partners and alliances like NATO and India.

On a caucus call on Tuesday, Schumer discussed his push to direct Senate committees to draft a legislation to protect American jobs and outcompete China.

He said his intention is to put the legislation on the Senate floor for a vote this spring.

“Today, I directed the chairs and members of our relevant committees to start drafting a legislative package to outcompete China and create new American jobs,” Schumer said.

The new legislation, he said, must achieve three goals. They should enhance American competitiveness with China by investing in US innovation, American workers and American manufacturing; invest in strategic partners and alliances: NATO, Southeast Asia and India; and expose, curb, and end once and for all China's predatory practices which have hurt so many American jobs, Schumer said.

The legislation will have as its centrepiece a bicameral, bipartisan bill, the Endless Frontiers Act, which Schumer introduced last year with Senator Todd Young, Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna and Senator Mike Gallagh in the House.

“It will take the key cutting industries and make American investments so we will outcompete China in all of them. In addition, we will make serious investments in strengthening the US semiconductor industry to outcompete China and stop depending on foreign sources,” Schumer said.

He said at present semiconductor manufacturing is a dangerous weak spot in US economy and national security and that has to change.

“You've all seen that auto plants throughout America are closed because they can't get the chips. We cannot rely on foreign processors for the chips. We cannot let China get ahead of us in chip production. This will be part of the proposal that we will introduce,” Schumer said.

“We will also talk about the build out of 5G and how America can remain number one there. And all of these have bipartisan support. The bill we will intend to introduce...will be bipartisan. Our intention is to put this legislation on the Senate floor for a vote this spring,” he said.

This month alone, nearly 20 anti-China legislations have been tabled or reintroduced in either chambers of the US Congress. PTI