Tech Bill Taking Aim at China Advanced by US Senate, Approves $190 Billion to Strengthen US Technology

The legislation also seeks to counter Beijing's growing global influence through diplomacy.

By Reuters | Updated: 28 May 2021 11:40 IST

Tech Bill Taking Aim at China Advanced by US Senate, Approves $190 Billion to Strengthen US Technology

Once it passes the Senate, the bill must also pass the House of Representatives

Highlights

The exact timing of a final Senate vote was not clear
Lawmakers continued to debate next steps behind closed doors
The legislation seeks to counter Beijing's growing global influence

The US Senate on Thursday advanced a sweeping package of legislation intended to boost the country's ability to compete with Chinese technology, as Congress increasingly seeks to take a tough line against Beijing.

Senators voted 68-30 to end debate on the $250 billion (roughly Rs. 18,11,430 crores) US Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, or USICA, and move nearer to a final vote on the legislation.

The desire for a hard line in dealings with China is one of the few truly bipartisan sentiments in the deeply divided US Congress, which is narrowly controlled by President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who co-wrote the USICA legislation, said the United States spends less than 1 percent of gross domestic product on basic scientific research, less than half of what China does.

"We have put ourselves in a very precarious position of potentially falling behind the rest of the world in the technologies and industries that will define the next century," he said in Senate remarks urging support for the bill.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the legislation.

The exact timing of a final Senate vote was not clear, as lawmakers continued to debate next steps behind closed doors on Thursday evening.

Once it passes the Senate, the bill must also pass the House of Representatives to be sent to the White House for Biden to sign into law.

The measure authorises about $190 billion (roughly Rs. 13,76,470 crores) for provisions to strengthen US technology in general, plus $54 billion (roughly Rs. 3,91,180 crores) specifically to increase production of semiconductors, microchips, and telecommunication equipment.0

The legislation also seeks to counter Beijing's growing global influence through diplomacy, by working with allies and increasing US involvement in international organisations after former Republican President Donald Trump pulled Washington out as part of his "America First" agenda.

As it considered the legislation, the Senate approved by 91-4 an amendment backed by Republican Senator Mike Crapo and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden to retaliate against what they consider China's anti-competitive trade practices and bar products determined to have been produced using forced labour.

It's Google I/O time this week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, as we discuss Android 12, Wear OS, and more. Later (starting at 27:29), we jump over to Army of the Dead, Zack Snyder's Netflix zombie heist movie. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.