An amendment to the Endless Frontier Act designed to thwart potential trade cheating by China and other nations was introduced in the U.S. Senate.
The amendment, the Combating Oppressive and Manipulative Policies that Endanger Trade and Economic Security (COMPETES) Act of 2021 would bolster efforts to prohibit goods made with forced labor, including from the Xinjiang region of China, from reaching the United States. It would do this by strengthening Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement efforts and directing CBP to better utilize data on seafood imports.
Further, it would provide modernized trade enforcement tools to USTR to address anti-competitive digital trade and censorship practices like China’s Great Firewall. In addition, it would require increased inspection by CBP of goods from countries identified to be significant sources of counterfeit goods. Also, it would strengthen oversight, accountability, and transparency over U.S. trade policy by requiring additional reporting by USTR on certain activities related to China, such as any efforts to circumvent existing obligations.
“The COMPETES Act strikes right at the heart of China’s anti-competitive and morally abhorrent labor, environmental and digital practices. The U.S. government needs to slam the door on products produced with these unfair practices,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), one of the sponsors of the amendment, said. “This amendment reflects both the clear strategic challenge posed by China and our collective faith that if the playing field is level American workers will out-compete and out-innovate China.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) also sponsored the bill.
“For years, the Chinese Communist Party has gone to extraordinary lengths to steal American intellectual property and cheat their way to innovating and economic growth,” Schumer said. “The COMPETES Act will take aim at these anti-competitive, predatory practices and will help level the playing field for American workers. This addition to the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act will boost America’s ability to compete, innovate, and win the 21st Century.”