Tallahassee Sun

Congressman Neal Dunn (Florida-02) introduced H.R. 9447, the Ending China’s Unfair Advantage Act of 2024, in Washington, D.C., on September 4, 2024. This bill is the House companion to Senator John Barrasso’s (R-WY) legislation, S. 1035, the Ending China’s Unfair Advantage Act of 2023. The proposed legislation aims to prohibit the use of American taxpayer dollars to fund the Montreal Protocol’s Multilateral Fund and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) until China is no longer designated as a developing nation.

The Ending China’s Unfair Advantage Act addresses concerns that China, despite having the world’s second-largest economy, continues to benefit from its "developing nation" status within international organizations like the Montreal Protocol and the UNFCCC. This designation allows China to receive financial assistance and extended deadlines intended for actual developing countries while enjoying significant economic and military advantages.

“With the world's second-largest economy, China is far from being a developing country. It's unacceptable for China to continue to exploit a separate set of rules and receive financial support funded from the American taxpayer," said Congressman Dunn. "China should not be classified as a developing nation. This bill ensures that the United Nations ends this unjust advantage and holds China accountable on the global stage.”

Both the Montreal Protocol and the UNFCCC have provisions allowing developing countries to receive financial support and extended deadlines for environmental commitments. China's classification as a developing country under these agreements has enabled it to benefit disproportionately, receiving nearly $1.4 billion from the Montreal Protocol’s Multilateral Fund. The U.S., as the largest contributor to this fund, has given almost $1 billion.

The Ending China's Unfair Advantage Act would ensure that U.S. taxpayer funds are not used to support these international agreements until China's status is appropriately reclassified.