Hundreds of bills aiming to shape U.S.-China policy have been introduced on Capitol Hill over the past five years. The most ambitious, the US Innovation & Competition Act (which includes the Strategic Competition Act), was passed by the Senate in early June, lending impetus to corresponding efforts in the House. With White House support, the bipartisan bill aims at increasing American competitiveness vis-à-vis China. It marks Congress’s most sustained and comprehensive attempt to frame and finance a bilateral relationship and touches on every aspect of U.S.-China relations.

While its legislative fate is unknown, Senate passage of the bill provides an excellent opportunity to analyze the bipartisan consensus on China and the many strategies American policymakers are considering as Sino-U.S. competition expands.