Strategic Ports Reporting Act
The Strategic Ports Reporting Act would require the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense to actively monitor and assess how the People’s Republic of China (PRC) seeks to influence or control strategic foreign ports. The bill orders a two-part effort: first, to map global ports deemed important to U.S. security and economic interests and identify any PRC efforts to build, buy, or control those ports; and second, to conduct a formal study of what makes ports strategic, how PRC actions could affect U.S. and allied security and economic goals, and what steps the U.S. government could take to ensure open access, security, and trusted investment in ports and maritime infrastructure. The resulting report would be due within one year and submitted in unclassified form, with a possible classified annex. The act also envisions collaboration with a federally funded research and development center to carry out the study and to maintain an up-to-date list of strategic ports.
Key Points
- 1Mapping requirement: The Secretary of State, with the Secretary of Defense, must create an updated global map of foreign and domestic ports that are important to the United States for military, diplomatic, economic, or resource purposes, and identify PRC efforts to build, buy, or control those ports.
- 2Study and report: The State and Defense Departments must study strategic ports, PRC expansion efforts, involved actors (including shipping companies like China Ocean Shipping Company), PRC-promoted technologies such as LOGINK, and how PRC control could affect U.S. and allied security and economy; they must propose U.S. actions to ensure open access and security.
- 3Report contents: The forthcoming report must include lists of known PRC- or PRC-connected ports, lists of U.S.-owned or U.S.-person-owned ports, vulnerability assessments, an analysis of PRC strategies to expand control, and a detailed strategy with authorities, costs, funding sources (private and public), and steps to maintain a trusted port network.
- 4Use of a federally funded center: The departments may partner with a federally funded research and development center to conduct the study.
- 5Timeline and format: A comprehensive, unclassified report is due within one year of enactment, though a classified annex may accompany the unclassified material.
- 6Definitions and scope: The act defines “strategic port” as a port or waterway deemed critical to U.S. security or economic prosperity by the relevant U.S. government offices, and specifies which committees and government offices are involved in oversight and implementation.