FBI Director Christopher Wray and Ken McCallum, director-general of the U.K. security service MI5, have warned business leaders of China’s use of large-scale hacking and global network of intelligence agents to steal intellectual property of Western technology companies, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
“The Chinese government is set on stealing your technology—whatever it is that makes your industry tick—and using it to undercut your business and dominate your market,” Wray told business executives in London Wednesday. “They’re set on using every tool at their disposal to do it.”
Wray also expressed skepticism about commercial transactions with Chinese partners and said that business leaders should assess the risk of such interactions.
“Maintaining a technological edge may do more to increase a company’s value than would partnering with a Chinese company to sell into that huge Chinese market, only to find the Chinese government and your partner stealing and copying your innovation,” he said.
The U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center on Wednesday released a notice warning local and state government officials and business leaders about China’s use of overt and covert approaches to influence U.S. policymaking processes.
Some of the tactics China uses to influence policymaking are open lobbying, trade and investments to punish or reward officials and collection of personal data of state and local government leaders.
