{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases/guest-introduces-stop-act-support-colleagues-prevent-chinese-abuse-developing", "Guest Introduces STOP Act, with Support from Colleagues, to Prevent Chinese Abuse of Developing Nation Status", "2022-02-17", "2022", "2022-02", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Michael Guest", "G000591", "guest.house.gov", "guest", "https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congressman Michael Guest (MS-03) recently introduced the Securing Transparent Operations to Prevent (STOP) China\u2019s Abuse of International Financing Act, along with original cosponsors: House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Michael McCaul (TX-10), and Representatives Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), David McKinley (WV-01), Brian Mast (FL-18), and Brian Babin, D.D.S. (TX-36). The legislation aims to expose and prevent the China\u2019s Communist Party (CCP) from abusing its false status as a \u201cdeveloping nation\u201d to access international financing tools to further its geopolitical strategy across the globe.\n\n\u201cThe history of the CCP\u2019s influence in global financial institutions should worry freedom-loving people everywhere,\u201d Rep. Michael Guest said. \u201cThe CCP is taking advantage of international financing reserved for struggling nations to further expand their Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and predatory lending practices to actual developing nations. This legislation will expose the CCP for these practices and further prevent the abuses that lead to diminished freedoms and financial independence around the globe.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor too long the CCP has taken advantage of international institutions to further their goals at the expense of democracy and freedom,\u201d Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul said. \u201cThe CCP likes to say that China is a developing nation; the fact is it is not. We must continue the efforts of the Trump administration to delist China as a developing nation. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this important legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cAny criteria that defines the second largest economy in the world as a \u2018developing nation\u2019 is clearly flawed,\u201d said Rep. Brian Mast. \u201cThat mistake has allowed the Chinese Communist Party to take advantage of international financial institutions and given it an unfair boost over other countries. China is abusing the rules, so it\u2019s time for some new ones.\u201d\n\nThe CCP is using China\u2019s status as a developing nation to influence IFIs through international banking practices. The STOP Act would bring transparency and accountability to China\u2019s international financing by:\n\nRequiring a report from the Treasury Department to unveil China\u2019s use of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to advance its diplomatic goals;\n\nExpressing a Sense of Congress that China should not be considered a developing country by IFIs and other international organizations and that U.S. representatives to these institutions should work to ensure China is not considered a developing nation;\n\nRequiring the USTR to develop a strategy for ensuring U.S. trade agreements do not provide special treatment reserved for developing countries to those that are actually high income; and\n\nProhibiting U.S. contributions to IFIs from being used to support contracts or procure goods from China.\n\nYou can view the full text of the bill by clicking here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:57:46Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases/guest-introduces-stop-act-support-colleagues-prevent-chinese-abuse-developing"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6176044009625912, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}