Yesterday, Reps. Chris Stewart (R-UT) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) introduced the bipartisan Monitoring China-UAE Cooperation Act. As members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Representatives have introduced this bill to assess the relationship between China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in order to safeguard U.S. technology and national security. The report that this bill requires will be crucial to the U.S. Intelligence Community as it monitors potential threats from the Chinese Communist Party.

“It is a fundamental duty of Congress to best protect American citizens, interests and allies,” said Congressman Stewart. “I am proud to stand beside my Democratic colleague and introduce a bipartisan bill that improves that protection. America faces ever-evolving threats in an ever-evolving international landscape, and none are more serious than those posed by China. This legislation will provide us with the information necessary to most effectively defend American technology from our greatest foreign adversary.”

“As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, the safety of the United States and the security of our information is my priority, and I have been pleased to find it is a bipartisan priority,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “The United States must be able to protect our technology and the security of our partners and allies. Our bipartisan bill will allow the United States to understand the extent of China-UAE cooperation, safeguard advanced technologies, and better inform U.S. national security policies and counterterrorism efforts. Improving our national security in this region begins with acquiring this data.”

This bill would require the Director of National Intelligence to submit a crucial report to the House and Senate intelligence committees containing:

• Details on China-UAE cooperation in defense, security, technology, and other strategically sensitive matters that implicate U.S. national security interests.
• An updated quarterly intelligence assessment of measures the UAE has taken to safeguard U.S. technology and how reliable UAE assurances are that U.S. technology is being safeguarded.
• The Director of National Intelligence’s confirmation that the UAE’s assurances to safeguard U.S. technology are viable and sufficient to protect U.S. technology from being transferred to China and others.

The United States needs to monitor the relationship between China and the UAE. Last spring, the People’s Republic of China secretly attempted to use its commercial port in the UAE to establish a military foothold in the Middle East. China halted the military base’s construction after the United States intervened and notified the UAE, which said it was unaware of China’s military objectives. The UAE continues, however, to have strong economic ties with China. Notably, the UAE has embraced China’s Huawei telecommunications infrastructure, leaving the country vulnerable to Chinese espionage. The UAE is a critical U.S. partner in the Middle East that hosts a U.S. military base and has purchased numerous advanced U.S. weapons. The UAE claims, however, that the Biden Administration’s security requirements for a proposed advanced U.S. weapons sale are too burdensome. This bill will ensure that the UAE is protecting current and future supplies of U.S. technology reliably