Duval Times

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Rick Scott (R-FL) have introduced the Strategic Ports Reporting Act, a bill aimed at safeguarding U.S. maritime ports from adversarial access, particularly from Chinese entities. The proposed legislation mandates the U.S. Department of Defense to create an interagency strategy report to address this growing concern.

“Florida is home to many of our nation’s key ports. Our nation can’t allow Communist China to invest in geographically and economically strategic ports. We must prevent, at all costs, the chance for our adversaries to use our resources against us,” stated Senator Rubio.

Senator Kelly emphasized the economic implications: “America has always been a seafaring nation, relying on trade to fuel our economy. This bill is critical to securing our ports overseas from Chinese influence that threatens our economy and our national security.”

Senator Scott highlighted the broader security concerns: “Protecting the ports, seaports and infrastructure of the U.S., our allies and trading partners around the globe is critical to our economic independence, U.S. national security and the security of our allies. As our nation faces threats from adversaries around the world and Communist China continues its quest for global dominance, we must eliminate any ownership, influence, or access the Communist Chinese regime may have over our allies’ infrastructure and data that can be used against us."

The bill requires the Department of Defense to identify critical ports worldwide and develop a plan to secure them from potential threats.

In parallel, U.S. Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA) will introduce companion legislation in the House. Congressman Wittman remarked on China's expanding influence: “As China continues its military aggression in the Indo-Pacific and expands its economic influence across the globe, it is more important than ever that the United States has a plan to counter China’s investments in strategic foreign ports while ensuring resilience of U.S.-aligned ports."

For further information:

May 2024: Rubio, Waltz, Kelly, Garamendi Release National Maritime Strategy Report