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Senators Introduce Bill to Counter Chinese Espionage in the United States

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) have introduced the Countering Chinese Espionage Reporting Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at ensuring the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has a clear understanding of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) efforts to threaten national security, intellectual property, and economic interests. The bill comes on the heels of reports that the CCP has secretly operated surveillance centers across the U.S., stolen American intellectual property worth an estimated $225 billion to $600 billion annually, and engaged in espionage activities through non-traditional collectors.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Countering Chinese Espionage Reporting Act requires the U.S. Attorney General to prepare an annual report on the DOJ's efforts to counter Chinese national security threats and espionage in the U.S.
  • The report must include a description of the DOJ's efforts to counter Chinese national security threats and espionage in the U.S., including:

+ The theft of American IP and research

+ Threats from non-traditional collectors, such as researchers in labs, at universities, and at defense industrial base facilities

+ An accounting of DOJ resources dedicated to combating CCP national security threats

  • The bill is a response to the CCP's increased efforts to steal American companies' intellectual property, government secrets, and military strategy
  • The U.S. Air Force shot down a Chinese spy balloon that traveled through American airspace for several days in February 2023
  • The CCP has secretly been operating seven "service centers" across America, raising questions about China's surveillance efforts in the U.S.
  • The Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property estimates that the CCP has stolen enough IP to cost the United States an estimated $225 billion to $600 billion every year

Statistics:

  • The estimated annual cost to the U.S. of the CCP's intellectual property theft is between $225 billion and $600 billion
  • The CCP has secretly been operating seven "service centers" across America
  • The U.S. Air Force shot down a Chinese spy balloon that traveled through American airspace for several days in February 2023
  • The date of the intelligence chiefs' warning about China's intellectual property theft was October 2023

Sources:

  • "U.S. Senators Introduce Bill to Counter Chinese Espionage in the U.S." (United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn))
  • "Congress to Probe China's Illicit Surveillance in the United States" (The Epoch Times)
  • "China's espionage efforts in the United States are concerning, says senator" (CNBC)
  • "Senate Bill to Counter Chinese Espionage" (Sen. Marsha Blackburn)
  • "Countering Chinese Espionage Reporting Act" (Sen. Chris Coons)
  • "Theft of American Intellectual Property" (Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property)

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