From his perch on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is looking to get tough with Chinese officials and companies active in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.
Rubio brought out the “South China Sea and East China Sea Sanctions Act” on Tuesday. If approved, the proposal would sanction businesses and individuals backing Chinese activities in those seas.
“China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea are illegitimate and threaten the region’s security and American commerce, with reverberations that can be felt here at home, including Florida’s ports and throughout our state’s shipping and cargo economy,” Rubio said on Tuesday. “The security of our allies in the region and our own economic livelihoods cannot be endangered by Beijing’s ongoing, flagrant violations of international norms in its pursuit of dominance in the South China Sea and East China Sea.
“Beijing’s illegitimate activities in these waters need to end, and the sanctions called for in this legislation would hold violators accountable and serve as a deterrent to others,” Rubio added. “Consistent with international law, China should not be allowed to interfere in any way with the free use of the waters and airspace in the South China Sea and East China Sea by civilian and military ships and aircraft of all countries.”
Rubio’s proposal includes directing the president “to impose sanctions and prohibit visas for Chinese individuals and entities who contribute to construction or development projects, and those who threaten the peace, security or stability of the South China Sea or East China Sea” and “impose sanctions on foreign financial institutions that knowingly conduct or facilitate a significant financial transaction for sanctioned individuals and entities if China takes certain actions in the SCS or ECS, including declaring an air defense identification zone or increasing activities at Scarborough Shoal.” The bill would also ensure the federal government monitors companies and individuals helping the Chinese in those seas and impact foreign aid to countries who recognize China’s control of those seas.
China is not the only power increasingly growing active in the seas which are increasingly prominent when it comes to producing energy. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam are also claiming parts of the seas. Tensions are growing as China ramps up its military activity in that area.
Rubio is not the only Republican focused on that part of the world. Earlier this week, President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter to express his thoughts on the matter.
“Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into their country (the US doesn’t tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea?" Trump asked. “I don’t think so!”
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