U.S. SENATE — Following a recent congressional delegation trip U.S. Senator Steve Daines led to China, Daines pressed Department of Defense secretary Jim Mattis on the importance of protecting American innovation from theft and forced technology transfers in China today during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing. The current laws in place do not ensure sufficient protections.
During the hearing, Secretary Mattis agreed with Daines about the need to protect American research and development, especially relating to national security.
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“The time has passed where America can be complacent,” said Daines. “China poses very real threat to our national security, whether it’s their military investments, economic development via forced technology transfers, outright theft or China’s rapidly developing and innovative tech sector, they need to be addressed.”
Mattis referenced Senator John Cornyn’s (R-TX) legislation regarding reforms to strengthen the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) as part of America’s strategy to counter security threats from China, highlighting the importance of protecting “research and development” in industries critical to America’s national defense.
Following the congressional delegation trip Daines led to China, Daines published a joint Fox News op-ed with Sens. Chuck Grassley (IA), Ron Johnson (WI) and David Perdue (GA) on both the threats and opportunities America faces when working with and competing against China.
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