Bipartisan Senators Propose Chinese Tech Investment Ban

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced legislation to safeguard the U.S. from American investments in Chinese militarized industries, including artificial intelligence.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said the legislation is critical to protecting American interests. The Foreign Investment Guardrails to Help Thwart (FIGHT) China Act is designed to prohibit U.S.-based financial stakes in "certain" AI models. The bill also blocks American investments in Chinese quantum computers and military systems, including hypersonic missiles and vehicles that can travel over five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5.

Slotkin said the need to buffer American investments in technology that can be used against us is common sense. "This legislation cuts off U.S. investments into certain industries and technologies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and allows us to hit bad actors with tough sanctions. We must protect American innovation and keep our national security strong."

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is the Senate author of the bill. He said, "By prohibiting and requiring notification of U.S. investments in certain technologies in China, this bill would help ensure American ingenuity, innovation and investment do not end up in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party to be weaponized against us."

The Chinese threat to the U.S. was also noted in an appearance before a U.S. House committee last year by then-FBI Director Christopher Wray, who told the panel, "The CCP's dangerous actions — China's multipronged assault on our national and economic security — make it the defining threat of our generation."

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