,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bbbb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #i1 #bjbe,mr4 ,curtis 7for himself and ,ms4 ,rosen7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to enhance the security1 resilience1 and protection of undersea communication cables vital to ,taiwan's national security1 economic stability1 and defense1 particularly in countering gray zone tactics employed by the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,taiwan ,undersea ,cable ,resilience ,initiative ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,undersea communication cables 7in this ,act referred to as undersea cables7 are critical infrastructure essential for global communication1 commerce1 and national security1 particularly for ,taiwan1 whose economic and security stability relies heavily on undersea cable connectivity4 7#b7 ,the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china has increasingly used gray zone tactics to undermine the security and sovereignty of ,taiwan1 including suspected sabotage of undersea cables in and around ,taiwan1 such as the incidents involving the severing of cables around the ,matsu ,islands of ,taiwan and other key regions in #bjbc and #bjbe4 7#c7 ,undersea cables are a primary target in the strategy of the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china to cripple the communication capabilities of ,taiwan in the event of a military conflict1 as part of broader hybrid warfare tactics4 ,disruption of undersea cables would significantly impact the ability of ,taiwan to communicate both domestically and internationally1 leading to a breakdown in military1 economic1 and social functions4 7#d7 ,the vulnerability of ,taiwan to attacks on undersea cables has been compounded by an increasing number of foreign vessels suspected of involvement in sabotage1 including ,chinese-linked vessels1 which are perceived as direct threats to ,taiwan's critical infrastructure4 7#e7 ,the ability of the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china to disrupt or sever undersea cables is a critical element of its military strategy aimed at softening ,taiwan's defenses and isolating ,taiwan from international support in the event of an invasion or military confrontation4 7#f7 ,recent activities by foreign adversaries1 particularly the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 have increased the risk of sabotage and disruption to undersea cables serving ,taiwan and other nations4 ,notably1 in ,february #bjbc1 the ,matsu ,islands of ,taiwan experienced major internet disruptions due to two undersea cables being severed1 with suspicions pointing toward deliberate external interference4 ,furthermore1 in ,january #bjbe1 ,chunghwa ,telecom reported damage to an international undersea cable and identified a suspicious vessel--the ,chinese-linked cargo ship ,shunxin#ci--near the affected area4 ,the ,coast ,guard of ,taiwan has indicated concerns that that vessel may have been involved in deliberately cutting the cable4 ,in a subsequent incident1 ,taiwan seized the ,togo-flagged ,hong ,tai #eh1 suspected of deliberately severing an undersea cable4 ,the ,coast ,guard of ,taiwan acknowledged the possibility of ,china's involvement as part of a grey area intrusion4 7#g7 ,since #bjbc1 there have been at least #aa cases of damage to undersea cables around ,taiwan and a similar number in the ,baltic ,sea1 with authorities in ,taiwan and ,europe suspecting ,chinese and ,russian involvement in several incidents1 although some damages have been attributed to natural causes4 ,those incidents highlight the vulnerability of those critical systems to gray zone tactics and the difficulty of proving sabotage or holding perpetrators accountable4 7#h7 ,the sabotage of undersea cables constitutes gray zone tactics designed to destabilize and undermine international security without direct military confrontation4 7#i7 ,several regional mechanisms have been established to bolster the security of undersea cables1 including the ,nordic ,warden initiative for maritime domain awareness and the ,quad ,partnership for ,cable ,connectivity and ,resilience1 aimed at enhancing the security and resilience of undersea cables in the ,indo-,pacific4 7#aj7 ,to counter the threats described in this section and safeguard the resilience of ,taiwan1 it is imperative for the ,united ,states and its allies to take decisive action to bolster ,taiwan's defenses for undersea cables and foster international cooperation to protect those critical assets4 #c4 ,taiwan ,undersea ,cable ,resilience ,initiative 7a7 ,establishment ,not later than #cfj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,defense1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 the ,commandant of the ,coast ,guard1 and such other heads of agencies as the ,secretary of ,state considers relevant1 shall establish an initiative to be known as the ,taiwan ,undersea ,cable ,resilience ,initiative 7in this section referred to as the ,initiative74 7b7 ,priority ,the ,initiative shall prioritize the protection and resilience of undersea cables near ,taiwan1 with a focus on countering threats from the ,people's ,republic of ,china to the critical infrastructure of ,taiwan4 7c7 ,key focus areas 7#a7 ,advanced monitoring and detection capabilities ,in carrying out the ,initiative1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security and the ,secretary of ,defense1 shall develop and deploy advanced undersea cable monitoring systems for ,taiwan capable of detecting disruptions or potential sabotage in real-time1 including by informing ,taiwan1 as appropriate1 of early warnings from global intelligence networks4 7#b7 ,rapid response protocols ,in carrying out the ,initiative1 the ,secretary of ,state shall-- 7,a7 establish rapid response protocols for repairing severed undersea cables or mitigating disruptions2 and 7,b7 work with allies of the ,united ,states to help ,taiwan develop the logistical capacity to respond quickly to attacks on undersea cables and minimize downtime4 7#c7 ,enhancing maritime domain awareness ,in carrying out the ,initiative-- 7,a7 the ,secretary of the ,navy and the ,commandant of the ,coast ,guard1 in collaboration with the ,coast ,guard of ,taiwan and regional allies1 shall enhance maritime domain awareness around ,taiwan1 focusing on the detection of suspicious vessels or activities near critical undersea cable routes2 and 7,b7 the ,commandant of the ,coast ,guard shall assist in joint patrols and surveillance1 particularly in the ,taiwan ,strait and surrounding maritime zones1 to monitor potential threats and prevent sabotage4 7#d7 ,international frameworks for protection 7,a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the ,initiative1 the ,secretary of ,state shall seek to establish cooperative frameworks with regional allies and global partners to protect the undersea cable networks near ,taiwan4 7,b7 ,elements ,the frameworks established under subparagraph 7,a7 shall provide for participation by the ,united ,states in joint drills1 intelligence-sharing platforms1 and collaborative surveillance operations to enhance collective security against sabotage4 7#e7 ,taiwan-specific cable hardening ,in carrying out the ,initiative1 the ,secretary of ,state shall encourage and support the hardening of critical undersea cables near ,taiwan1 including reinforcing cables1 improving burial depths1 and using more resilient materials to reduce vulnerability to natural disasters and deliberate interference4 #d4 ,countering ,china's gray zone tactics 7a7 ,working with partners ,to counter ,chinese sabotage ,the ,president shall work with ,taiwan and like-minded international partners to implement strategies that directly counter the use by the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china of undersea cable sabotage as part of its gray zone warfare1 including by increasing diplomatic pressure on that ,government to adhere to international norms regarding the protection of undersea infrastructure4 7b7 ,raising awareness ,the ,president shall work with ,taiwan to raise global awareness of the risks posed by interference by the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china in undersea cables1 including through public diplomacy efforts1 information sharing1 and international forums that address gray zone tactics and the protection of critical infrastructure4 #e4 ,imposition of sanctions with respect to sabotage of undersea cables 7a7 ,in general ,the ,president shall impose the sanctions described in subsection 7b7 with respect to any person of the ,people's ,republic of ,china that the ,president determines is responsible for or complicit in damaging undersea cables critical to the national security of ,taiwan4 7b7 ,sanctions described ,the sanctions described in this subsection are the following3 7#a7 ,blocking of property ,the ,president shall exercise all of the powers granted by the ,international ,emergency ,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja et seq47 to the extent necessary to block and prohibit all transactions in all property and interests in property of a person described in subsection 7a71 if such property and interests in property are in the ,united ,states1 come within the ,united ,states1 or are or come within the possession or control of a ,united ,states person4 7#b7 ,ineligibility for visas1 admission1 or parole 7,a7 ,visas1 admission1 or parole ,an alien described in subsection 7a7 shall be-- 7i7 inadmissible to the ,united ,states2 7ii7 ineligible to receive a visa or other documentation to enter the ,united ,states2 and 7iii7 otherwise ineligible to be admitted or paroled into the ,united ,states or to receive any other benefit under the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja et seq474 7,b7 ,current visas revoked 7i7 ,in general ,the visa or other entry documentation of an alien described in subsection 7a7 shall be revoked1 regardless of when such visa or other entry documentation is or was issued4 7ii7 ,immediate effect ,a revocation under clause 7i7 shall-- 7,i7 take effect immediately2 and 7,,ii7 automatically cancel any other valid visa or entry documentation that is in the possession of the alien4 7c7 ,implementation2 penalties 7#a7 ,implementation ,the ,president may exercise all authorities provided under sections #bjc and #bje of the ,international ,emergency ,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agjb and #agjd7 to carry out this section4 7#b7 ,penalties ,a person that violates1 attempts to violate1 conspires to violate1 or causes a violation of this section or any regulation1 license1 or order issued to carry out this section shall be subject to the penalties set forth in subsections 7b7 and 7c7 of section #bjf of the ,international ,emergency ,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agje7 to the same extent as a person that commits an unlawful act described in subsection 7a7 of that section4 7d7 ,exceptions 7#a7 ,exception for intelligence activities ,this section shall not apply with respect to activities subject to the reporting requirements under title ,v of the ,national ,security ,act of #aidg 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #cjia et seq47 or any authorized intelligence activities of the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,exception to comply with international agreements ,sanctions under subsection 7b77#b7 shall not apply with respect to the admission of an alien to the ,united ,states if such admission is necessary to comply with the obligations of the ,united ,states under the ,agreement regarding the ,headquarters of the ,united ,nations1 signed at ,lake ,success on ,june #bf1 #aidg1 and entered into force on ,november #ba1 #aidg1 between the ,united ,nations and the ,united ,states1 or the ,convention on ,consular ,relations1 done at ,vienna on ,april #bd1 #aifc1 and entered into force on ,march #ai1 #aifg1 or other international obligations of the ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,exception relating to importation of goods 7,a7 ,in general ,the authorities and requirements to impose sanctions under this section shall not include the authority or requirement to impose sanctions on the importation of goods4 7,b7 ,good defined ,in this paragraph1 the term good means any article1 natural or manmade substance1 material1 supply or manufactured product1 including inspection and test equipment1 and excluding technical data4 7e7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,admission2 admitted2 alien ,the terms admission1 admitted1 and alien have the meanings given those terms in section #aja of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja74 7#b7 ,person of the ,people's ,republic of ,china ,the term person of the ,people's ,republic of ,china means-- 7,a7 an individual who is a citizen or national of the ,people's ,republic of ,china2 and 7,b7 an entity owned or controlled by the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 organized under the laws of the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 or otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china4 7#c7 ,united states person ,the term ,united ,states person means-- 7,a7 any ,united ,states citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence to the ,united ,states2 7,b7 an entity organized under the laws of the ,united ,states or of any jurisdiction within the ,united ,states1 including any foreign branch of such an entity2 or 7,c7 any person in the ,united ,states4 #f4 ,semiannual report ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and every #ahj days thereafter1 the ,president shall submit to ,congress a report detailing-- 7#a7 any incidents of interference in undersea cables near ,taiwan2 and 7#b7 any actions taken in response to such incidents4