The US visa system rolls out the “red carpet” for spies and aids China’s alleged efforts to steal American innovation, senators charged at a congressional hearing on Wednesday, as Washington and Beijing intensify competition for dominance in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies.
Through its permissive legal channels, the US is “inviting, welcoming, come on in with the red carpet rolled out” people who steal military and commercial secrets, Republican Senator Ashley Moody of Florida told the Senate Judiciary Committee, adding that it keeps “her up at night.”
“We’re doing this with nations that actually have laws on the books that require their citizens to spy on us, gather intelligence, and report back,” she said. “And this is very concerning to me.”
The hearing titled Stealth Stealing: China’s Ongoing Theft of US Innovation focused on allegations that China steals US intellectual property across sectors ranging from AI to military technology. While these concerns are not new, they have gained renewed attention as the US and China remain locked in a highly competitive race for global AI supremacy.
The Chinese embassy in Washington said Beijing is committed to protecting intellectual property rights and building a “fairer and more just” global IP system.
“China is not only the world’s factory but is also becoming the world’s innovation lab,” said spokesman Liu Pengyu. “The relevant remarks is pure slander and we firmly oppose it.”
Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, also noted close similarities between the US F‑35 and China’s J‑35 fighter aircraft.
“When America spends decades innovating, but China copies us in years and steals from it,” said Cruz, a China hawk. “That is not competition. It is being a parasite.”
While China has a well-developed espionage programme, critics say blanket accusations are detrimental to Americans of Asian descent and may ultimately undermine US innovation.
China Initiative targeted scientists for suspected ties with Beijing
During US President Donald Trump’s first term, his administration launched the controversial China Initiative, which targeted scientists for suspected connections with Beijing.
The initiative was intended to fight espionage and research theft from within the scientific community, but faced criticism for racial bias and for targeting minor paperwork violations.
It was abandoned in 2022 under then-President Joe Biden, although some say that investigations continue.
A 2021 study by the Committee of 100 examining Economic Espionage Act cases from 1996 to 2020 found disparities in how individuals of Asian and Chinese descent were treated.
The study concluded that around one in three Asian-Americans accused of espionage may have been falsely accused and found they received harsher average sentences than defendants with Western surnames.
Tensions also surfaced at US borders in April, with the Chinese government warning its citizens to avoid Seattle airport after what it termed “malicious interrogation and harassment” of about 20 Chinese academics.
America’s universities continue to host tens of thousands of Chinese nationals each year who contribute to US research and innovation. However, the numbers are down significantly as bilateral tensions have increased.
Lawmakers and witnesses on Wednesday pointed to legal channels, including work visas, university research and talent pipelines, as potential pathways for China-linked espionage.
“There have been students that have come out publicly, Chinese nationals that said they’ve been pressured by China to cooperate, to provide information,” said Moody.
“We increasingly find Chinese students that have come over on visas taking pictures using drones of military bases. We know that there has been theft from our universities.”
Earlier this month, a Chinese student was charged with unauthorised photography of US military aircraft in Nebraska during a road trip through several states.
Tianrui Liang, a 21-year-old studying in Glasgow, was arrested at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport on April 7 as he attempted to return to Scotland, court documents showed.
While not facing espionage charges, he has been charged with photographing defence installations without authorisation, which is prohibited under US law.
Using China as an example, Moody said: “Their national intelligence law requires their citizens and organisations to cooperate with and assist Chinese intelligence agencies, and they don’t stop at their borders”, claiming they can “exert immense pressure on Chinese companies and personnel that operate in the United States.”
Hearing witness Tom Lyons, co-founder of 2430 Group, a non-partisan non-profit organisation, said a balance should be struck by strengthening the vetting of students and others entering the country without banning access.
“Even during the Soviet era, we were pro immigration,” he said. “And I think we should remain that.”
China willing to ‘buy’ or ‘steal’ US tech, Congress also told
Other recent congressional hearings have also highlighted US concern about China’s practices. Just last week, Congress was told that China is willing to “buy” or “steal” US tech to get ahead in the AI race.
“China is willing to buy what they can, and steal what they cannot, to advance their AI ambitions,” John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, said last week.
Helen Toner from the Centre for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University, a witness at Wednesday’s hearing, warned that the stakes may extend beyond geopolitical concerns, cautioning that winning is meaningless if it comes “at the expense of AI overrunning the entire planet”.
“Right now, the way that we build AI and the level of control we have over it, which is not great, the winner of any AI race between the US and China is the AI.” -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
