Yep.
The problem of Chinese theft of US technology is significant, involving a multifaceted campaign that costs the American economy hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Both the FBI and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance have warned that the scale of this theft is unprecedented. According to former FBI Director Christopher Wray, China represents “the greatest long-term threat to our nation’s information and intellectual property, and to our economic vitality”.
Estimates from various sources, including government reports, place the cost of Chinese intellectual property (IP) theft at anywhere from $225 billion to $600 billion per year. “Greatest transfer of wealth”: General Keith Alexander, a former director of the NSA, has referred to China’s technology theft as “the greatest transfer of wealth in human history”.
The theft is not limited to major corporations but extends to small startups, academic institutions, and federal agencies. Industries impacted include aviation, robotics, health care, and agriculture. The FBI has emphasized that the theft has “flesh and blood, kitchen-table consequences” for American jobs and families, not just Wall Street.
China employs a diverse range of methods to illegally or coercively acquire foreign technology:
Economic espionage: Both state-sponsored and private Chinese actors hack US companies and government agencies to steal trade secrets, proprietary information, and personal data.
Forced technology transfer: To access the Chinese market, US companies may be pressured into forming joint ventures with local firms and transferring critical technology as a condition of doing business.
The Chinese government uses “talent recruitment programs,” such as the Thousand Talents Plan, to entice scientists at US universities to illegally or deceptively transfer research and IP to China. US government funds often finance this stolen research.
China benefits from the open nature of the US economy and academic system while maintaining a closed system itself. Chinese law allows the government to compel any Chinese company to provide information it requests.
Chinese entities invest in US companies to gain access to their technology and IP.
Chinese firms reverse-engineer foreign products after obtaining them legally through purchases or trade shows.
The problem stems from China’s political and economic system, which favors acquisition and imitation over indigenous innovation.
China uses stolen technology to build its own “national champions” through government subsidies, which then compete with and harm the US businesses that were originally victimized.
The Chinese Communist Party’s military-civil fusion strategy leverages civilian technologies acquired from the US to enhance its military capabilities. The theft of sensitive information relating to military and national security directly threatens US defense capabilities.
China’s ambition to become the world’s leading superpower is a core driver for its foreign technology acquisition programs, viewing the erosion of the US technological base as a requirement for achieving this goal.
Executive summary
China: the risk to corporate america -FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION. The annual cost to the U.S. economy of counterfeit goods, pirated software, and theft of trade secrets is between $225 billion ...more at FBI.gov
The Threat Posed by the Chinese Government... - FBI
Jul 7, 2020 — A Diverse and Multi-Layered Approach * Economic Espionage. To achieve its goals and surpass America, China recognizes it needs to make leaps in cutting-edge tech...snip