US v China IP row intensifies as senators weigh in
China is trying to gain access to US proprietary information through telecoms companies, academia and joint business ventures, a US senator has claimed.
Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, expressed his concerns at a Senate hearing yesterday, February 13, Reuters reported.
The Republican senator raised fears that spies from China may infiltrate US research institutions and laboratories operating sensitive technologies.
Chinese telecoms organisations “like Huawei and ZTE Corp” are “widely understood to have extraordinary ties to the Chinese government”, Burr claimed.
His allegations were backed up by several chiefs working in the US intelligence community who testified at the committee’s annual hearing on worldwide threats.
Senator Mark Warner, the vice chairman of the committee, said a more “strategic perspective on China’s efforts to use acquisitions and other types of business ventures” is needed.
Last week legislation was introduced which, if passed, would prevent the US government from acquiring telecoms equipment from Huawei and ZTE.
Both companies have consistently denied accusations that their products allow for espionage.
Such accusations were the subject of a US House of Representatives investigation in 2012 which found, among other things, that US private sector entities are "strongly encouraged to consider the long-term security risks associated with doing business with either ZTE or Huawei for equipment or services".
The developments in China-US trade relations follow President Donald Trump’s request for an investigation into Chinese IP theft in 2017, as reported by WIPR.
China has previously urged the US to “respect the facts and respect the strong desire of the industry to strengthen cooperation”.
In January WIPR reported that the US Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, accused China of having “disrespect” for IP at the World Economic Forum, and said the country’s development of high-tech goods is a “direct threat” to the US.
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