NORMANDY, France – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) introduced the Countering Chinese Espionage Reporting Act, which would ensure that we know the full extent of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) efforts to counter threats to U.S. national security posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP):

“Last year, it was reported that there are seven secret surveillance centers operated by the Chinese Communist Party in some of America’s largest cities,” said Senator Blackburn. “This infiltration of our country must not be allowed to continue, and the Countering Chinese Espionage Reporting Act would ensure that the Department of Justice is doing everything in its power to safeguard our national security.”

“It’s absolutely critical to both our national security and economic competitiveness that we protect U.S. intellectual property – like academic research and technological innovation – from being stolen and used by our adversaries,” said Senator Peters, Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. “I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan bill to ensure the Justice Department is protecting American ideas and innovation from threats posed by the Chinese government, while respecting Americans’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties. This is something I’ve long been focused on in the Senate and I look forward to continue working to see this bill passed into law.”

• Last year, the intelligence chiefs of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada came together to send a warning about China’s most sustained scaled and sophisticated theft of intellectual property and expertise in human history.         
• In February 2023, the U.S. Air Force shot down a Chinese spy balloon that traveled through American airspace for several days – an apparent act of Chinese provocation.
• Last year, DOJ arrested two individuals in connection with opening and operating an illegal overseas Chinese police station.
• It was also revealed the CCP has secretly been operating seven “service centers” across America, raising questions about China’s surveillance efforts in the U.S.
• According to the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property, the CCP has stolen enough IP to cost the United States an estimated $225 billion to $600 billion every year.
• The federal government must do everything in its power to counter the CCP’s threats to our national security and our economy.

• The Countering Chinese Espionage Reporting Act directs the U.S. Attorney General, in coordination with other relevant government agencies, to prepare an annual report on the DOJ’s efforts to counter these threats from China.
• Specifically, the DOJ’s report must include a description of its efforts to counter Chinese national security threats and espionage in the U.S., including:
• U.S. Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

• The theft of American IP and research;
• Threats from non-traditional collectors, such as researchers in labs, at universities, and at defense industrial base facilities; and
• An accounting of DOJ resources dedicated to combating CCP national security threats.

Click here for bill text.