US Broadens Espionage to Chinese Companies as CIA Targets AI, Chips and Biotech
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 8
US Broadens Espionage to Chinese Companies as CIA Targets AI, Chips and Biotech
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 8
Summary
Michael Ellis said the United States has expanded spying on China beyond military and political targets to include Chinese companies tied to key technologies.
AI, semiconductors and biotechnology are driving that shift, he said, because intelligence on China's economic and technological power sits in the private sector or its Chinese equivalent.
Ellis argued China poses a different threat from Cold War rivals because competition is economic as well as military, requiring a wider intelligence mandate.
The remarks mark a subtle break from past U.S. practice, which generally tried to separate national-security espionage from spying seen as economically motivated.
Why is the CIA suddenly treating foreign tech companies as military targets, and what does it mean for global business?
If economic espionage is now justified for national security, how will multinational corporations survive the blurred lines of state-sponsored intelligence?