New Act Requires China, Russia, and Others to Report Local Meetings 96 Hours in Advance

The aptly named Countering Corrupt Political (CCP) Influence Act is a federal move to track and monitor diplomatic activities from countries the U.S. considers adversaries at the state and local levels. Simply put, this bill forces foreign missions from a specific list of nations—including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea—to give the State Department a four-day heads-up before they meet with any U.S. state or local official, or before they visit a university or research center.

The New Rules of Engagement

For the diplomats from the eight "covered countries"—a list that also includes Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan—diplomacy just got a whole lot more bureaucratic. Section 2 of the bill mandates a 96-hour advance notice to the State Department for any planned meeting with a mayor, a governor, a state legislator, or even a city council member. This rule also applies to visits to any research centers or universities. The notice isn't a quick email; it must detail the exact date, location, names of the foreign officials involved, and the specific purpose of the meeting or visit.

Think about what this means for a state official, say a governor trying to land a foreign investment deal or a university hosting a visiting scientist. If a time-sensitive issue pops up, or a spontaneous meeting is necessary, the 96-hour rule acts like a hard stop. It effectively chills the ability of these foreign missions to engage quickly and efficiently with local U.S. institutions. While the goal is transparency and national security oversight, the practical effect is that it makes legitimate, non-federal interaction much harder and slower.

The Federal Watchdog

This bill doesn't just collect data; it turns the State Department into a central clearinghouse for this information. The Secretary of State is required to compile all these reported meetings and send a consolidated list to Congress every single month. This means Congress gets a real-time, detailed look at exactly who from these specific countries is talking to whom at the local level. Furthermore, the bill mandates a comprehensive, multi-agency threat assessment report within four and a half years, forcing top officials across defense, intelligence, and treasury to formally review the long-term threat posed by each covered country.

For the average person, this bill won't directly change your daily commute or your paycheck. However, it’s a significant shift in how the federal government monitors foreign influence, specifically targeting state and local levels which are often seen as softer targets than Washington D.C. The fact that these requirements are set to expire in five years suggests this is being treated as a targeted, temporary measure to increase security oversight. The potential benefit is better intelligence on adversarial activities; the practical challenge is that it severely restricts the speed and flexibility of local officials and researchers to engage diplomatically, even when that engagement could be beneficial to their state or institution.