{ "id": "R46302", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "R", "number": "R46302", "active": true, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov, EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "active": true, "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R46302", "source_dir": "crsreports.congress.gov", "date": "2020-07-14", "typeId": "R", "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/2020-07-14_R46302_095d25f35cae3102f3d48b0809f261d9eed5e2f4.pdf", "url": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46302/5", "sha1": "095d25f35cae3102f3d48b0809f261d9eed5e2f4" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/2020-07-14_R46302_095d25f35cae3102f3d48b0809f261d9eed5e2f4.html" } ], "type": "CRS Report", "summary": null, "title": "Tracking China\u2019s Global Economic Activities: Data Challenges and Issues for Congress ", "retrieved": "2020-09-07T12:22:22.995513", "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov", "id": "R46302_5_2020-07-14" }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 621796, "date": "2020-04-02", "retrieved": "2020-04-03T22:48:15.948179", "title": "Tracking China\u2019s Global Economic Activities: Data Challenges and Issues for Congress ", "summary": "The People\u2019s Republic of China (PRC or China) has significantly increased its overseas investments since launching its \u201cGo Global Strategy\u201d in 1999 in an effort to support the overseas expansion of Chinese firms and make them more globally competitive. Since then, these firms\u2014many of which are closely tied to the Chinese government\u2014have acquired foreign assets and capabilities and pledged billions of dollars to develop infrastructure abroad. As a result, many in Congress and the Trump Administration are focusing on the critical implications of China\u2019s growing global economic reach for U.S. economic and geopolitical strategic interests. \nSome analysts see these Chinese activities as primarily commercial in nature. Others contend that the surge in global economic activity is also part of a concerted effort by China\u2019s leaders to bolster China\u2019s position as a global power and ensure support for their foreign policy objectives. There is also growing concern about the terms of China\u2019s economic engagement, particularly over the ways that Chinese lending may be creating unsustainable debt burdens for some countries and over how much of China\u2019s lending is tied to commercial projects and Chinese state firms that benefit from the investment.\nA major challenge to understanding the implications of China\u2019s growing global economic reach is the critical gap in the availability and accuracy of data and information. Most notable is the fact that no comprehensive, standardized, or authoritative data\u2014from either the Chinese government or international organizations\u2014are available on Chinese overseas economic activities. Given the complexity and multifaceted nature of the projects in which Chinese entities are involved, attempts to assess the size and scope of these projects are rough estimates, at best, and should be regarded as such. Figures cited in news articles, think-tank reports, and academic studies may not be entirely accurate and should be interpreted with caution. For instance, many publicly and privately available unofficial \u201ctrackers\u201d\u2014from which these data are often sourced\u2014are based on initial public announcements of Chinese overseas projects, which may differ significantly from actual capital flows because such projects may evolve or may never come to fruition. \nIn the absence of accurate and sufficient data, Members of Congress may seek ways to improve their own understanding by supporting U.S. and international efforts to better track, analyze, and publicize actual Chinese investment, construction, assistance, and lending activities. Congress, for example, may direct agencies within the executive branch to develop a whole-of-government approach to better assess the global economic activities of U.S., Chinese, and other major actors. Additionally, Congress could require these agencies to study the adequacy of data and information recording, collection, disclosure, reporting, and analysis at the U.S. and international levels. Better information could facilitate clearer, deeper, and better informed assessment of such activities and their (1) impact on U.S. interests and (2) ramifications for the norms and rules of the global economic system\u2014a system whose chief architect and dominant player to date largely has been the United States.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R46302", "sha1": "109aad765039a73372dd29f736400e2ea4fbca9c", "filename": "files/20200402_R46302_109aad765039a73372dd29f736400e2ea4fbca9c.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R46302_files&id=/2.png": "files/20200402_R46302_images_95024f71c7f12358c227db6a9ba50e56d3b96772.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R46302_files&id=/1.png": "files/20200402_R46302_images_76295bea671031135ae2ed15f0652e0293327fbe.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R46302_files&id=/0.png": "files/20200402_R46302_images_22b4f92aeb7f01b11bc0a98210434b70000fdd68.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R46302", "sha1": "c79bfc843d6246ec7a54c09770233bac199f610b", "filename": "files/20200402_R46302_c79bfc843d6246ec7a54c09770233bac199f610b.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4764, "name": "Foreign Investment" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4866, "name": "U.S. Trade Policy Overview" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4911, "name": "East Asia & Pacific" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4938, "name": "Major Economies & U.S. Trade Relations" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Economic Policy", "Foreign Affairs", "Industry and Trade", "Intelligence and National Security" ] }