back to article US winds up national security team dedicated to Chinese espionage

The United States' National Security Division will wind up its "China Initiative" – an effort to combat what then-attorney general Jeff Sessions described in 2018 as "systematic and calculated threats" posed by Beijing-backed economic espionage. "This Initiative will identify priority Chinese trade theft cases, ensure that we …

  1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    "China [..] does not permit the operation of a free press"

    I think there is a certain US political party who would love to be able to do the same thing and ensure that only its point of view was published.

    1. Martin Gregorie

      Re: "China [..] does not permit the operation of a free press"

      I think there is a certain US political party who would love to be able to do the same thing and ensure that only its point of view was published.

      I think you mean "a certain self-entitled individual and his deluded supporters".

      1. DS999 Silver badge

        Re: "China [..] does not permit the operation of a free press"

        I think you mean "a certain self-entitled individual and his deluded supporters"

        Unfortunately I think the problem has moved beyond him. Look no further than Florida's governor, who has prevented accurate information about covid hospitalizations and deaths from being released - look at what they've tried to do to Rebekah Jones. So if the orange snowflake drops dead tomorrow from a major heart attack caused by eating one too many Big Mac, his mindset will live on once his supporters latch onto another self-entitled wanna be dictator.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    China takes resources

    So, Putin had a meeting with Xi, thinks he got Xi on board to invade Ukraine. While all the Russian troops are bogged down fighting Ukraine, he wants to ensure Xi doesn't settle all those border disputes in the East along the Chinese border, and grab all those tasty resources, that Russia controls in the East. You are supposed to think Xi is aligned to Russia, but that's not the reality.

    Now would be a good time to make the call to China, say "you know what this anti-china crap was Trump/Putin crap, and we will prosecute any of these things, but they don't represent any Chinese *national* policy, more errant individual companies... BTW Putin's troops will be bogged down in Ukraine, all the way over in the west, and he will suffer major casualties leaving a very weakened force".

    Xi of course will play off both sides, he will have had military options for everything locked and loaded, and clearly the "Tucker Swanson Lukashenko McNear Carlson" problem is more pressing problem for the USA. The corruption of US politics with Russian bribes and back-channels and troll farms and spies is clearly the more pressing threat to the US. When Putin can kill US soldiers and Fox News and a group of Republicans will back him against US troops, you have a much more pressing problem there than a difficult trading relationship with China. Priorities.

    You give Xi a nod, that the relationship isn't irreparable, as long as he acts in US interests in relationship to Russia.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: China takes resources

      If Russia takes Ukraine, the Russian Black Sea fleet will take a victory lap around the USA, with a "Mission accomplished" banner, and Josh Hawley will be there, fist bumping for his photo op, live on Tucker Carlsons show.

      They will compete to offer the most to Putin, and they will follow Putin against the interests of America. No State is safe no ally is secure.

      Mitt Romney recognized Putin as the biggest threat to the US in 2012, it took till 2015/16 for Democrats to realize it. Here in 2022, it should be crystal clear to *everyone* that Russia is the most imminent threat to the West.

      You are not safe if Putin can put a puppet in power. Russia needs to be the priority.

      January 6th shows how easy it would be to flip democracy, if Trump had got his coup, he had the loyal lawyer lined up in the Defense Department ready to legalize any attack on protesting voters by US military. The army would shoot the protesting voters, while Trump was in the Whitehouse in his bunker.

      The ultra partisan Supreme Court shows that the law will not protect you. They vote with their clan, they were chosen for that trait, if Putin appears to lead the Republican party, they will decide laws to suit Putin, their clan.

      Now would be a good time to court Xi, yeh you've bought your own anti-China crap, I get it, but needs must.

      Make that call.

    2. DS999 Silver badge

      Re: China takes resources

      I don't think it is as easy as you suggest, but there may be some room for negotiation between the west and China for them to at least not help ease the impact of sanctions. If they were to get fully on board with sanctions themselves so basically the whole world could be unified against Putin that would certainly help but seems highly unlikely.

      The question is what would China want as the price for that, and would the west be willing to pay it? If it is something achievable like backing down on the tariff war started a few years ago maybe it will happen, but they would probably ask for more than the west is willing to give.

      1. Julz

        Re: China takes resources

        If I was Xi the price would include Taiwan and the South China Sea.

  3. spoofles

    A big concern is that the decision is not based of effectiveness but is feeling based. A group "feels" that they might face decriminalization and so causes the shutdown of a possibly effective program. That or the check from the CPC cleared.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Quote: "The government of China has also used espionage tools and tactics against US companies and American workers to steal critical and emerging technologies,..."

    Rewrite: "The government of the USA has also used espionage tools and tactics against Chinese companies and Chinese workers to steal critical and emerging technologies,..."

    Huawei, anyone.......

    Pot, kettle, anyone....

    1. Sub 20 Pilot

      This is always the case. US feel they can do anything they want to, including invading other nations on a made up excuse and spying on other nations, including people who thought that they were allies of the US.

      The whole Huawei affair will bite us ( in the UK ) in the arse one day because we rolled over without question and did Trump's bidding. No matter what GCHQ had previously said and no matter what spyware will be present in US based equivalent kit.

      I can not fault Trump's ''america first'' stance at the time, but all other nations should do the same and put their nation first, not be forced into putting the US first.

  5. martinusher Silver badge

    It was a failed witch hunt

    If you read the fine print you'll notice that all that's changed is the name.

    There's no mention in this article of the fall out from this initiative. People were falsely accused, careers were ruined and yet the most the Feds were able to pin on anyone was not filling out a form correctly (i.e. to their liking). While doing this they made life uncomfortable for Americans of Asian origin, a significant group in some parts of the US and a group that's been complaining about systematic harassment over the last few years.

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