Last week, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) proposed a Section 232 investigation that could lead to additional import restrictions on Chinese garlic for "security" reasons, and also proposed or put forward legislation to restrict or ban Chinese garlic and seafood imports.

Last week, two Republican U.S. Senators introduced a bill that targets China, Russia, and other countries whose manufacturing and natural resource processing involve relatively high carbon emissions.

Senator James Lankford (R-OK) has introduced a bill that would use Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) as leverage to deter Chinese coercion and military aggression against Taiwan.

Yesterday, President Biden signed into law H.R. 4004, the “United States-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade First Agreement Implementation Act,” which "approves" the June 1, 2023 trade agreement between the United States and Taiwan, and establishes requirements for consulting with Congress on future trade agreements between the two.

Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) recently introduced a bill designed "to help ensure that the U.S. government more quickly responds to China’s unfair trade practices."

Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate would expand the scope for reviewing Chinese investments in the United States to include all real estate purchases that are for the purpose of establishing a business, and, at least formally, ties this new restriction to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The legislation still needs to be considered by the Senate; legal and political impact unclear.