WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) and Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), is cosponsoring legislation to counter threats to U.S. national security posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Countering Chinese Espionage Reporting Act would direct the Attorney General to prepare a report on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) efforts to combat threats from China and espionage in the United States, so that the federal government can better form a fact-based, up-to-date strategy to contain and confront China.

China poses one of the greatest threats to the United States’ national security and economy. In February 2023, the United States Air Force shot down a Chinese spy balloon that had traveled through American airspace for several days — an apparent act of Chinese provocation. It was also revealed last year that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has secretly been operating “service centers” across America — raising questions about China’s surveillance efforts in our country. Additionally, China has leveraged much of its legal system to steal American intellectual property. It leads America’s adversaries as the top thief of United States’ intellectual property (IP). According to the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property, the CCP has stolen IP that is estimated to cost the United States from $225 billion to $600 billion every year.

“For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has consistently worked to undermine our national security, weaken our economy and steal intellectual property,” said Senator Angus King. “The first step in combatting any threat is to ensure we have a clear understanding of the facts. The bipartisan Counting Chinese Espionage Reporting Act would be a commonsense, invaluable step forward in countering these serious threats posed by Chinese agents. By using our own intelligence and annual reporting from the Department of Justice, we can better protect our communities and companies from foreign bad actors.”

The Countering Chinese Espionage Reporting Act would:

• Direct the U.S. Attorney General, in coordination with other relevant government agencies, to prepare an annual report on the DOJ’s efforts to counter threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
• Specifically, the report would include details pertaining to:
• The theft of American intellectual property (IP) and research
• Threats from non-traditional collectors, such as researchers in laboratories, at universities and at defense industrial base facilities
• An accounting of DOJ resources dedicated to combating threats from the CCP

A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator King is recognized as a thoughtful voice on national security and foreign policy issues. Alongside the Maine delegation he urged the DOJ to crackdown on illegal Chinses-owned marijuana operations in Maine. In the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), he secured a key provision requiring the Secretary of Defense to submit yearly reports focused on deterring hostility from adversaries like China and Russia. During hearings, Senator King has been a vocal advocate for strengthening the United States’ deterrence strategy to defend itself from multiple forms of Chinese aggression.

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