Regional China Officer Authorization Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 5329 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 5329 To authorize the establishment of a Regional China Officer Program Unit in the Department of State to monitor and assess the global presence of the People's Republic of China and to help United States diplomatic and consular posts abroad address its malign influence and activities, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 11, 2025 Mr. Meeks (for himself and Mr. Mackenzie) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To authorize the establishment of a Regional China Officer Program Unit in the Department of State to monitor and assess the global presence of the People's Republic of China and to help United States diplomatic and consular posts abroad address its malign influence and activities, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Regional China Officer Authorization Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds the following: (1) The Department of State started the Regional China Officer (RCO) program in 2019 with six officers deployed overseas. (2) As of January 2025, the program had grown in size to 20 RCO positions, spanning across all the regional bureaus. (3) RCOs assess and report on emerging patterns in activity by the People's Republic of China (PRC), help United States diplomatic missions focus on the most important, PRC-related, United States priorities, and help coordinate effective messaging and strategies to counter PRC malign influence in the region. (4) The RCO program is part of the Office of China Coordination in the Bureau of East