A bipartisan bill sponsored on Aug. 2 by U.S. Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) would combat the negative environmental, ecological, and public health impacts on sub-Saharan Africa caused by investments linked to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“The PRC’s Belt and Road Initiative coerces developing nations to fall into Xi Jinping’s debt-trap diplomacy but also exposes vulnerable populations to harmful ecological, environmental, and public health risks,” said Rep. Kim, chairwoman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Indo-Pacific Subcommittee. “We cannot allow Xi Jinping to get away with growing his global power and violating international environmental and labor laws in the process.”
The congresswoman sponsored the Stopping PRC Environmental Exploitation and Degradation Act (SPEED) Act, H.R. 9265, with lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX).
The bill states that Chinese business entities are notorious for “consciously violating” the laws of their host countries, as well as international law. The PRC and Chinese private-sector companies participate in destructive, and at times illegal, mining, drilling, logging, and fishing practices in sub-Saharan Africa that cause high levels of concern and harm across the region, according to the text of H.R. 9265.
The proposed bill would require that within 180 days after the date of enactment, the U.S. Secretary of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development would lead the development of a strategy that would be submitted to Congress for partnering with willing African countries to develop mitigation strategies for such investments made by PRC-linked and Chinese private-sector companies.
H.R. 9265 also would allow for sanctions on PRC-linked entities that are responsible for adverse environmental and public health incidents on the African continent, the text says.
“I am proud to lead the SPEED Act to counter the Belt and Road Initiative and hold the PRC accountable for its exploitative practices, deliberate environmental degradation, and threat to African communities’ livelihoods,” said Rep. Kim.