GOP senators eye comprehensive China strategy to curb CCP influence

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FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators introduced a series of measures on Wednesday aimed at taking a comprehensive approach to curbing the Chinese Communist Party's influence in the west. 

Sens. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., led the introduction of several pieces of legislation in the Senate, all focused on targeting different aspects of China's involvement in America, including at universities and in the U.S. agricultural sector. 

"The CCP is the single greatest threat to America’s national security and financial independence," Ricketts told Fox News Digital in a statement. "A CCP-led world would mean coercion instead of choice, tyranny instead of liberty, and dictatorship instead of democracy. The only way to combat this threat is with a strong, strategic, all-of-government approach. These bills move us closer to that."

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Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at a meeting in Beijing, Sept. 20, 2024. (Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via Getty Images)

The Nebraska Republican introduced five bills: to protect domestic food supply chains; to disincentivize university endowments from investing in "adversarial entities"; to prevent tax breaks for investing in Chinese, Russian, Iranian, North Korean, or Belarussian companies; to stop U.S. market participation and ownership in businesses that are sanctioned for human rights violations; and to prohibit index funds from purchasing Chinese stocks. 

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 Sen. Pete Ricketts makes a speech during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., May 3, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Schmitt also introduced a measure that would bar members of the CCP and their relatives from obtaining student visas to attend American universities. 

"The Chinese Communist Party remains our most significant adversary, both militarily and economically. It makes no sense for American universities to continue educating the children and other family members of CCP officials. These more than 100,000 admission slots should go to American students," Schmitt told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

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Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

"If you are associated with a foreign organization that is actively working to undermine the United States, you should certainly not have the continued privilege of being educated on our college campuses. The Protecting Higher Education from the Chinese Communist Party Act fortunately puts an end to these special privileges." 

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The Guard of Honor of the Chinese People's Liberation Army performs a flag-raising ceremony on China's Army Day on Aug. 1, 2024 in Nanchang. (Ma Yue/VCG via Getty Images)

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The senators' legislation comes as Republicans continue to sound the alarm over CCP influence and current U.S. vulnerabilities. 

Americans increasingly agree with their warnings, with about half saying that limiting both China’s power and influence should be a top priority for the U.S. when it comes to foreign policy. Another 42% believe it should be given some priority, according to a Pew Research Center survey earlier this year.