The bipartisan measure calls for a report detailing operations against Chinese IP theft and other threats at research labs, universities, and defense facilities.
New bipartisan legislation introduced yesterday in the Senate would direct the Justice Department to publicize information about its efforts to counter Chinese intellectual-property theft, National Review has exclusively learned.
The measure, authored by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) and Gary Peters (D., Mich.), mandates that the attorney general compile a report detailing the department’s operations against Chinese IP theft and “threats from non-traditional collectors” at research labs, universities, and defense facilities, in addition to the resources that it is deploying against “national security threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party.”
Last October, FBI director Christopher Wray reiterated the U.S. government’s long-standing concerns about widespread economic espionage by an array of Chinese-government-backed actors.
“We have seen efforts by the Chinese government, directly or indirectly, trying to steal intellectual property, trade secrets, personal data — all across the country,” Wray said, during an interview with CBS News.
Federal prosecutors have continued to bring cases against individuals who are alleged to have stolen U.S. tech. In March, they brought charges against two men who worked to transfer technology from “a leading U.S.-based electric vehicle company” to a Chinese competitor.
“This infiltration of our country must not be allowed to continue, and the Countering Chinese Espionage Reporting Act would ensure that the Department of Justice is doing everything in its power to safeguard our national security,” Blackburn said in a statement.
The bill specifies that this report would be delivered to congressional committees and posted to the DOJ’s website. It also says that the department could include a classified annex that would only be delivered to Congress.
The bill also directs the attorney general to include information on how the department is protecting the civil liberties of Americans as it counters such threats.
“I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan bill to ensure the Justice Department is protecting American ideas and innovation from threats posed by the Chinese government, while respecting Americans’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties,” Peters said in a statement.