Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
As scientists race to develop these technologies, hostile nation-states stealing research and trade secrets is a key risk.
Some nation-states, such as the People’s Republic of China (PRC), seek to fast-track getting these advanced tools through illegal or otherwise illicit technology transfer—for instance, illegally taking technology from companies or academic institutions and transferring it to the adversary government for its own use.
When it comes to economic espionage, the government of China is using every possible avenue to steal U.S. companies’ innovation and is engaged in a well-resourced and systematic campaign to steal our intellectual property, compromise the integrity of our academic institutions, and put our companies out of business in pursuit of the “innovation-driven” economic growth highlighted in their Five-Year and Made in China 2025 strategic plans.
More specifically, the PRC’s Five-Year Plan identifies major technologies China wants to develop within that period, such as semiconductors, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, new energy, biotechnology, aerospace, robotics, and the devices and software that contribute to the manufacturing process of any of these technologies.
In March 2023, China and Russia agreed to deepen their scientific and other cooperation, benefiting their respective militaries’ technology research goals, including nuclear programs.
Investigating and preventing economic espionage and illicit technology transfer to adversarial governments are among the FBI’s most important work, as the United States’ economic and national security are inextricably linked. Stolen innovation is not just the theft of one idea—it could also result in lost jobs and stolen opportunities for American workers, decreased national power, and reduced leadership in the industries hostile nations seek to dominate in the decades to come.