Fitzgerald, Hern, Nunn Intro Bill to Counter China’s Belt & Road Initiative

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), Congressman Kevin Hern (OK-01), and Congressman Zach Nunn (IA-03) introduced the Build Responsible Infrastructure Development for the Global Economy (BRIDGE) Act to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and bolster the United States’ economic competition against China.

The BRI is one of China’s key strategies to exert undue influence over countries ranging from East Asia to Europe through debt-trap diplomacy disguised as infrastructure development. This bill would direct the Department of State, with other relevant government agencies, to develop a comprehensive, government-wide strategy on countering China’s BRI. This strategy would include current inter-agency efforts to counter the BRI as well as recommendations on how to bolster the United States Government’s economic competition against China.

“We must treat China’s Belt and Road Initiative for what it is: a means by which China can project power and even seize control of foreign infrastructure projects for military use,” said Rep. Fitzgerald. “The Chinese Communist Party is relentless in its attack on American interests at home and abroad. The BRIDGE Act will provide our government with an impetus to develop a comprehensive, government-wide strategy on countering China’s Belt and Road Initiative. I’m thankful to my colleagues Rep. Hern and Rep. Nunn for leading this important proposal with me.”

“China poses the greatest threat not only to our own nation but to the sovereignty of countless nations across the globe. The Belt and Road Initiative is modern economic warfare; we need to use every tool at our disposal to counter it. The BRIDGE Act will ensure we can help other countries reject China’s Trojan horse aid and maintain a competitive edge on the global economy,” said Rep. Hern.

“The Chinese Communist Party is notorious for their threats to global security,” said Rep. Nunn. “China’s Belt and Road Initiative is a deceptive attempt to prey on developing countries. We must do everything we can to ensure countries refuse this faux support and protect our interests.”

This bill is the third in a series of bills Rep. Fitzgerald is introducing to counter aggression from the CCP.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.