The China Threat
Chinese people and people of Chinese descent or heritage are not adversaries of the United States people or government. The threat comes from the authoritarian policies and programs of the CCP.
The Chinese government employs tactics to influence lawmakers and public opinion to achieve more favorable policies for China.
The Chinese government is also attempting to become the world's greatest superpower through predatory lending and business practices, systematic intellectual property theft, and brazen cyber attacks.
The government and the private sector must work together to understand better and counter china's efforts, as they affect businesses, academic institutions, researchers, lawmakers, and the general public.
Security of the economy
The economy and national security of the United States are inextricably linked.
U.S. academic institutions, research enterprises, and the private sector are the envy of the world, but they are also targets.
The PRC is conducting a well-resourced and systematic campaign. This results in three possible outcomes:
1. Our intellectual property is being stolen.2. Our academic institutions' integrity is compromised.
3. The closure of our companies.
Chinese economic policies undermine the open international system championed by the U.S. and put all U.S. businesses at a competitive disadvantage.
The CCP believes it must help China become the epitome of global power to cement its identity as a world power by 2049—the 100th anniversary of the party’s rise to national rule. Xi calls this “the Chinese dream” and defines it as the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”
Advanced technology, however, is expensive and time-consuming to develop. So instead of investing and waiting, the government of China’s strategy, in many cases, is to fast-track getting these advanced tools through technology transfer.
Simply put: They don’t build it. They steal it.
Technology transfer happens when technology—proprietary software or research, or a specialized product—is taken from companies or academic institutions and brought to the Chinese government for its own use. To make these technology transfers happen, the Chinese government uses several methods.
One way of doing this is through talent plans—the best known of these being the Thousand Talents program. This program and others like it recruit people with insight into or expertise in certain fields, products, or technologies. The Chinese government gives participants money and perks if they bring that technology to China.
China is also threatening businesses through network intrusions, like the 2017 credit reporting firm Equifax breach. In that case, members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, stole the sensitive personal information of nearly 150 million Americans.
Another tactic involves business relationships that Chinese firms form with companies based in the U.S. and other countries. These types of partnerships are not unusual in a global marketplace.
However, due to the authoritarian nature of the Chinese government, U.S. companies should assume that any information of military or intelligence value that they share with a Chinese company will likely land in the hands of the Chinese government and military, too.
In China, the boundaries typically between a private firm and the military or the government don’t exist.
Threat to Freedom
In addition to undermining our democracy and economy, the Chinese government threatens our freedoms.
A value system shaped by undemocratic, authoritarian ideals and actions is being used by the People's Republic of China (PRC) government to surpass the U.S. as a global superpower.
To maintain and develop a strategic edge, the PRC exploits every opportunity - financial, technological, educational, and diplomatic - offered by the country's free and open society.
Human Rights Fundamentals
In the U.S., everyone has fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, regardless of race, citizenship status, ethnicity, gender, national origin, religion, disabilities, or sexual orientation.
The PRC massively violates human rights within its borders and has no regard for them.
The Chinese government no longer limits repression to people just within its borders. Tibetans, Uyghurs, Falun Gong members, Taiwan and Hong Kong pro-democracy advocates, and others who question the legitimacy or authority of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are routinely targeted, threatened, and harassed by the PRC.
Democratic Norms
All levels of government are under attack by the PRC to undermine our democratic processes and institutions.
Our most treasured freedoms are undermined by relationships that seem overt and based on shared interests. To mask Beijing's role behind the request or narrative, China uses these seemingly benign relationships and engagements to secretly push its policy objectives.
Moreover, the PRC holds U.S. officials and businesses hostage to positions in accordance with China's interests, primarily financially. Our democratic processes are corrupted by the PRC, which violates U.S. federal law regarding campaign finance, for example.
The Rule of Law
Unlike the United States, China uses the rule of law to enforce the party's interests and punish those who do not comply.
When it pursues those accused of alleged crimes against the regime, the PRC brazenly violates well-established sovereignty norms and the rule of law. The PRC is working to undermine our impartial judicial system and weaponize its own courts against U.S. businesses and individuals.
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