NEWS

03.07.2020 | Donald Trump clamps down on China threat with defence law
Source - The Daily Express

The US House Armed Services Committee has unanimously passed an annual £594 billion (US$741 billion) defence legislation on Wednesday. The National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) will not become legislation yet, but it shows Washington’s views on China, its global position and its antagonism of the US.

“Is there anybody in this room that does not believe that China is an adversary of the United States, has every plan possible to become a world power at our detriment?” enquired Representative Paul Mitchell, a Republican from Michigan.

“Is there anybody that doesn’t believe that?”

The board, which supervises military procedures approved the bill 56-0 just before midnight after almost 14 hours of discussions.

The legislation features a series of legislative bids from lawmakers of different political backgrounds.

The proposals aim to challenge China on technology, scientific research and defence.

The bill includes a scheme to preserve the country’s rare earth metals supply chain as China leads the industry.

Another bid from lawmakers involves a joint intelligence report between Moscow and Beijing.

Eric Sayers, a former Asia policy adviser on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the committee's backing of the programme was a “strong indication of the bipartisan energy behind this concept”.


Mr Sayers is now an adjunct senior fellow for the Asia-Pacific Security Programme at the Centre for a New American Security.

“This reflects a growing concern within the House Democrat caucus about the shifting military balance in the region,” he added.

At one point in the meeting, there was a discussion over whether the Defence Department should keep a record of foreign academics working on Pentagon-funded investigative projects at US universities.

“The department knows more about the tourists that visit the Pentagon or work at the Starbucks at any military installation than they do about who participates in these research projects,” said Representative Jim Banks, an Indiana Republican who put forward the proposal.

After half an hour of debate the proposal was approved.

But the bill will potentially be discussed in the full House later this month.

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved its own variant on June 11.

It is has now been sent to the full Senate for deliberation.

The two chambers will finalise their editions before it passing it onto President Trump for authorisation.

On Tuesday, Trump took to Twitter to issue a threat of banning this year's defence bill if it involves a directive that US military bases currently named after Confederate officers from the Civil War must be renamed.


| | | Add to chosen
Search
Subscribe
Центр миру, конверсії та зовнішньої політики України
Інститут євро-атлантичного співробітництва
Центр "Україна - Європейський вибір"
Defense Express
Центр європейських та трансатлантичних студій

Rambler's Top100 Rambler's Top100


Міжнародний фонд відродження Project is realized with support from The International Міжнародний фонд відродження Project is realized with support from the NATO Information © 2004 - 2024. ЄВРОАТЛАНТИКА.UA
All rights reserved

This project was funded, in part, through Grant the opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of the Author (s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of State.
На головну Анонси подій Новини Аналітика Топ новини та коментарі Мережа експертів Про проект