Republican Rep. Young Kim of California and Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan introduced a bipartisan bill Monday that would require Secretary of State Antony Blinken to brief Congress on the extent to which the Chinese government has supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Direct Investigations on China, Take Action to Oppose Russia Act of 2022, or the DICTATOR Act, would require the State Department to submit a report detailing which Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-affiliated entities may have assisted, or continue to assist, the Kremlin in evading U.S. sanctions.
“While the United States, NATO allies and other nations have taken steps to hold Vladimir Putin accountable for his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and to provide support to the Ukrainian people as they defend their freedoms, silence and deference from the People’s Republic of China toward the Russian Federation cannot be ignored,” Rep. Kim said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“In today’s world, a threat to freedom anywhere is a threat to freedom everywhere,” she continued. “The DICTATOR Act will ensure the U.S. sends a clear message to the PRC and CCP that any efforts to assist Russia in evading U.S.-imposed sanctions will not be tolerated and will be met with severe costs. As authoritarian regimes seek to undermine and destroy freedom and democracy around the world, the United States must demonstrate leadership, unity and strength.”
“As Russia’s unprovoked attack against Ukraine rages on, we need to continue working with our allies and partners to economically punish and isolate the Putin regime through sanctions and property seizure, but we need those punishments to stick,” Slotkin said.
“The way Russia has cozied up to the Chinese in recent months is concerning, and we need to make sure China isn’t helping Putin and his cronies evade sanctions and, by extension, supporting this appalling, violent invasion of a sovereign country. The DICTATOR Act will make sure that the U.S. investigates whether Beijing is assisting Moscow and develops a clear strategy to block the Chinese government from helping Putin avoid the consequences of his actions.”
Unlike the U.S. and Europe, Chinese officials last week said they are not considering sanctioning Russia for its invasion against Ukraine and instead continuing with “normal trade cooperation.”
A Western intelligence report last week shows that Chinese officials had at least some knowledge of Russia’s plan to invade Ukraine. The report detailed that Chinese officials called on Russia to put off the invasion of Ukraine until after the Olympics in Beijing. China has denied the report as “speculation.”
The Olympics concluded on Feb. 20 and Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. One day after the invasion, China lifted its restrictions on Russian wheat imports to help ease the impact of the sanctions.
On Monday, the Chinese foreign minister called Moscow the “most important strategic partner” to Beijing despite allegations of war crimes being committed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“No matter how perilous the international landscape, we will maintain our strategic focus and promote the development of a comprehensive China-Russia partnership in the new era,” Wang Yi told reporters at a news conference of the annual meeting of China’s ceremonial parliament.
The DICTATOR bill introduced in the House Monday demands that an unclassified report be submitted to the Foreign Affairs Committees in the House and Senate within 90 days of its enactment. It then calls on President Biden to impose sanctions on any CCP-related entities that are found to have “aided the Russian Federation or Russian oligarchs in evading sanctions imposed by the United States and allied nations following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
