Chairman John Moolenaar of the House Select Committee on China has renewed concerns about Chinese technology companies operating in the United States, referencing recent reporting by the Financial Times that describes Alibaba’s cooperation with China’s military.
Moolenaar reiterated his call for Alibaba to be removed from U.S. stock exchanges, a position he first stated in May. He said, “The Select Committee has said for years that a Chinese company anywhere in the world is subject to Chinese law, and this is what we mean. Alibaba has no choice but to give up sensitive data on its customers and provide cybersecurity vulnerabilities to the CCP or it will face serious consequences, just like Jack Ma did. The federal government and industry must take steps to protect the American people and eliminate Chinese companies’ access to our markets and innovation.”
The Financial Times article outlines how Alibaba, which is already identified by the Pentagon as a Chinese military company, collaborates with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). According to the report, Alibaba allows the PLA access to customer data and wifi network information collected by the company. Additionally, it shares cybersecurity vulnerabilities with the PLA that could be used for cyber attacks targeting American infrastructure and businesses.
