A VERSION of congressional bill, if passed, would prohibit US ports from receiving federal funding if they use China-sponsored shipping platform LOGINK, reports New York's Journal of Commerce.

South Dakota Republican Congressman Dusty Johnson is sponsoring an amendment to the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 that would prevent US port authorities from receiving federal funds if they used the China-sponsored National Transportation Logistics Public Information Platform, or LOGINK.

Mr Johnson secured an amendment to the House Armed Services Committee 2024 National Defence Authorisation Act that would prohibit US ports from using LOGINK. The defence act sets funding levels and spending priorities.

"If LOGINK gained access to US carriers and ports, the [Chinese government] would be at an extreme competitive advantage, allowing them to underbid foreign competitors and further increase dependency on Chinese markets," Mr Johnson's office said in a statement.

"LOGINK provides massive amounts of monitoring, data, and logistics infrastructure to the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] - it's imperative we keep LOGINK out of American ports," he said. "China already competes unfairly in the global shipping arena. Blocking their access to American port data is one small step to keep this advantage to a minimum."

The defence act, which passed the House Armed Services Committee, is awaiting a full vote on the House floor.