U.S. Representative Introduces Bill to Block Chinese Companies from Acquiring U.S. General Aviation Firms

According to U.S. media reports, on the 16th, U.S. Representative Pat Hickey joined Representative Ryan Mackenzie in introducing the "General Aviation Protection Act" aimed at preventing Chinese acquisitions of American general aviation companies, filling what they perceive as national security vulnerabilities.

The report states that "general aviation" refers to all civil aviation activities other than scheduled commercial flights, including sports and leisure, business travel, medical emergencies, pesticide spraying, environmental protection, and flight training.

Hickey said that Chinese entities linked to China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC), which has been designated by the Pentagon as a so-called "Chinese military enterprise," have acquired more than 20 U.S. general aviation manufacturers, engine producers, avionics developers, and flight training schools since 2005. These companies produce engines, airframes, and avionics equipment that directly feed into U.S. military pilot training and the nation’s defense supply chain.

Using Cirrus Aircraft as an example, he said: "Walk into any regional airport in our country, and you’ll see a Cirrus aircraft on the tarmac—sleek in design, made in America, flying the American flag. However, what you don’t see is that the company producing this aircraft has been under the control of China’s state-owned AVIC since 2011—a major conglomerate also responsible for manufacturing fighter jets and drones for China’s military."

Mackenzie stated that foreign adversaries, especially China, should not be allowed to exploit legal loopholes in the United States to gain access to sensitive technologies, critical infrastructure, or innovative enterprises essential for maintaining national security.

The "General Aviation Protection Act" will establish a new mandatory review category within the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS), led by the U.S. Treasury Department, applying a “rebuttable presumption” that prohibits acquisitions by buyers linked to China or controlled by foreign adversaries. The bill also expands CFIUS’s jurisdiction to include aviation real estate near military installations, mandates the reclassification of dual-use aviation technologies, closes loopholes in foreign investment regulations, requires audits for potential hidden backdoors in foreign-controlled avionics equipment, and cuts off federal funding for any aviation companies controlled by foreign adversaries.

At the same time, the report notes that introducing the bill is merely the beginning of the legislative process. A bill must be passed in identical versions by both the Senate and the House of Representatives and then signed by the President before it becomes law.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1871109393036298/

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