CCP

VIDEO: UT Rep. Pierucci Bill to Stop Tech Purchases from CCP-Owned Companies Advances

Posted on by China Tech Threat
Utah State Representative Candice Pierucci is making it a priority to stop taxpayer dollars from being used to purchase technology from CCP-owned companies. In video comments provided to China Tech Threat (CTT), Rep. Pierucci talks about her bill, the Public Entity Restrictions bill (HB 404) that received unanimous support at the committee level and will next be taken up for a vote buy the full House. “I’m running legislation that would prohibit Utah’s official entities, funded by taxpayer dollars, from making any purchases from Chinese-owned companies with technology that could be used to influence and collect data on citizens. It is about safeguarding our taxpayer interests and dollars and making sure we aren’t funding the CCP,” said Rep. Pierucci.Updated research by… Read More

Wisconsin Looks to Stop Awarding Contracts to CCP-Linked Entities

Posted on by China Tech Threat
Wisconsin State Representative Alex Dallman and Senator Pat Testin are making progress in their attempt to stop CCP influence in the state. On February 7, the pair introduced Senate Bill 1000, which prohibits any public entity from contracting with certain prohibited business entities, including companies owned or operated by the Chinese government. No public entity can enter into a contract or transfer funds for information or technology with such entities. Updated 2024 research from China Tech Threat (CTT) found that Wisconsin has continued to spend money on restricted Chinese-owned technology. Since CTT’s last report in 2023, the state has spent an additional $389,027 in 2024 and $616,772 in 2023 on restricted Chinese technology from Lenovo, Inc. Factoring in the updated… Read More

The Greatest Trojan Horse in History

Posted on by China Tech Threat
In the past year, public controversy over TikTok has died down somewhat. That doesn’t make it any less dangerous. The end of 2022 saw a deluge of reporting that should lead state and federal officials to conclude that TikTok, the app owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is the greatest Trojan Horse in history and should be banned.   In brief, under Chinese law, any Chinese-owned company is bound to do what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) commands in the name of national security. It doesn’t matter where a company’s data is stored—under Chinese law, the Party is entitled to it. That presents enormous potential for the CCP to weaponize TikTok—the most downloaded app in the world—against the U.S. and its… Read More

Is 2024 the year of the legacy chip?

Posted on by China Tech Threat
It may be too early to tell, but the momentum is promising. The latest evidence comes from a Wall Street Journal exclusive on a letter from House CCP Select Committee leaders.  In the letter, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) call on the Biden administration to take “urgent action” to keep the PRC from dominating the legacy chip (also known as foundational chip) market. They warn, “If the United States becomes dependent on the PRC for foundational chips, our military and economic well-being may run the risk of being overly reliant on the Chinese Communist Party.” We couldn’t agree more and are glad Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi called on Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to… Read More

Congress’ Narrow Inquiry into U.S. Investment in China is not a Winning Strategy

Posted on by China Tech Threat
Writing in The Washington Times this week, Roslyn Layton examined the current inconsistencies in the United States’ regulatory approach towards curbing investment in Chinese military proxies. As we covered recently, President Biden issued an executive order that would require “U.S. firms to notify the federal government if they invest in some lower-end semiconductor production not already covered by export controls.”  In Congress, the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party sent letters to financial firms BlackRock and MSCI this month, notifying their CEO’s that the Committee was investing the companies’ investments into certain Chinese companies. The letter states “Americans are now unwittingly funding PRC companies” that develop technologies for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Layton notes that this… Read More

Useless Export Controls Fail to Stop China from Acquiring Sensitive Emerging Technologies

Posted on by China Tech Threat
By Steve Coonen “If you want it, here it is, come and get it,” sang the British band Badfinger in their 1969 song “Come and Get It.” That tune, written by Paul McCartney, might as well be the theme song for the U.S. Government’s inability to protect emerging or foundational technologies, including semiconductor technologies, from the Chinese military. Emerging and foundational technologies assist in providing the underlying knowledge and capabilities required for Chairman Xi and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to dominate and control key technological economic sectors and further modernize their military. Indeed, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute stated that China has a “stunning lead” in research into 37 out of 44 critical technologies, including those with clear military… Read More

Spy Balloon’s U.S. Components Point to the Need for Tougher Export Controls

Posted on by China Tech Threat
By Steve Coonen, CTT Special Advisor China’s brazen violation of U.S. airspace to collect intelligence via a spy balloon has justifiably served as a clarion call for the American people to more closely scrutinize the threat to U.S. national security from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Now that the balloon is confirmed to have used commercially available American technologies, it’s clear that a China-focused national security strategy should begin with stopping American tech from supporting China’s military modernization efforts. The news that the spy balloon had U.S. parts in it underscores the fact that the Chinese government has no qualms weaponizing American technology against the U.S. As Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sen.… Read More

CTT Joins National Security Leaders In Calling for Outbound Investment Review To Prevent US Capital From Bolstering CCP

Posted on by China Tech Threat
China Tech Threat’s Major General James “Spider” Marks joined the Coalition for a Prosperous America and members of the American foreign policy and national security communities in a letter to President Biden supporting an outbound investment review mechanism to protect U.S. capital from the bolstering the CCP. In the May 17 letter, the signatories wrote: “We write to you today as members of the American foreign policy and national security community to indicate our support for the establishment of an outbound investment review mechanism. While Congress continues to review legislation intended to address this matter, we respectfully request that expeditious action be taken by the administration in the near-term to address the risks and threats associated with U.S. capital bolstering… Read More

“I felt like I was watching a car crash in slow motion”: Former DOD Official Exposes Broken U.S. Export Control System Strengthening the Chinese Military

Posted on by China Tech Threat
For more than two decades, Steve Coonen served as a U.S. Army artillery officer and foreign affairs officer. After his active duty service, he helped lead the Pentagon’s unit charged with keeping sensitive American technologies away from our adversaries. As the Defense Technology Security Administration’s Senior Foreign Affairs Advisor for China, Steve won top performance awards, including the Award for Excellence from the Office of the Secretary of Defense in July 2020. Then, in November 2021, he resigned from his post. At the core of his decision to step away was principle: the U.S. government’s export control regime is marked by ineffectiveness and a willful blindness to how China is legally capturing controlled American technologies. Under the Chinese Communist Party’s… Read More

UPDATE: New Arkansas Law Prohibiting Contracts with China Is Progress, But Loopholes Need Closed

Posted on by China Tech Threat
[Updated] On April 12, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law  HB 1789, a bill to prohibit contracts with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Introduced by Representative Mindy McAlindon and State Senator Gary Stubblefield, the bill demonstrates a commitment by Arkansas leaders to protect sensitive data from PRC intrusion and advances a growing trend of new state laws in 2023 (joining Idaho and South Dakota). However, one significant loophole presented during the legislative process renders the new law powerless and must be corrected when the state legislature reconvenes in 2024. When introducing the bill, Rep. Mindy McAlindon said “HB1789 is designed to protect Arkansas and Arkansans from the undue influence of the Communist Party of China. Arkansas has… Read More