Back in April, prominent U.S. senator Chuck Schumer tabled a sweeping 1,445-page bill that would lay the groundwork for America’s broad strategy to blunt China’s global rise.
The legislation, called the Innovation and Competition Act, identifies strategic industries like quantum computing, advanced semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, where it recommends the U.S. should ramp up public support. It proposes deeper protections for critical minerals, expands research spending, and aims to strengthen cyber defence capabilities, among other things.
Tucked away in three brief sections of the legislation, U.S. officials detail a role for Canada in their China policy. Despite receiving little attention in Canada, the plans are deeply consequential, providing a rough sketch of the shape of Canadian foreign policy for the coming decades.
