Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) introduced an amendment aimed at combating the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) attempts at intellectual property theft, but the amendment faced opposition from the majority party and was not adopted.
Now, a new report from the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) is warning that failure to confront China's tech threats could result in trillions of dollars worth of lost economic growth for the U.S.
According to Garcia's website, the amendment was introduced to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, and was aimed at countering the CCP's attempts at intellectual property theft, which has already cost the U.S. an estimated $400 to $600 billion. The amendment was not adopted, with Garcia pointing to opposition from Democratic lawmakers. Garcia was critical of the Biden administration for ending the Justice Department's China Initiative.
“The China Initiative was proving effective at fighting both IP theft and trade secret theft. But without substantiating rationale by the Biden administration, it was repealed this year,” Garcia said on his website. “As we know, China has implemented a policy that they refer to as ‘Rob, Replicate and Replace,’ and the United States must do everything in its power to combat the CCP from robbing our intellectual property. The Chinese Communist Party is our real enemy, and we must do everything to stop them from using our ideas to better themselves.”
A new report from the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) warns that failure to confront China as a technological threat could result in the loss of trillions of dollars worth of economic growth.
"Imagine a world where China controls the global digital infrastructure, has the dominant position in tech platforms, controls the production of critical tech, and is harnessing biotech and new energy to transform its society, economy and military," the group said in a statement to Axios. "If we lose in these areas, it will be very hard to regain advantages."
The 186-page report noted that semiconductor chips, 5G and artificial intelligence are priority industries, and a summary of the report said of the CHIPS Act, "This reactive approach is not a recipe for long-term success."
Under the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a China Initiative with the goal of countering CCP theft of U.S. intellectual property, but the department ended the program earlier this year, citing complaints from activist groups that the program caused fear among Asian Americans, NPR reported.
In January, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the FBI opens a new China-related case every 12 hours, and had more than 2,000 China-related cases open at the time.
"There is just no country that presents a broader threat to our ideas, our innovation and our economic security than China," Wray said, according to NPR.
Garcia is a first-generation American citizen and decorated U.S. Navy pilot, according to his website. Last year, he was appointed to serve as a member of the China Accountability Task Force, which aims to ensure that America remains competitive with China.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who appointed Garcia to the task force, said in a statement on Garcia's website, "Congressman Garcia’s decorated background as a United States Naval Officer and combat veteran gives him a unique and valuable perspective that will benefit the China Task Force in their pursuit to counter the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party."
