US senators target China tech loopholes
Washington, Aug 12
Two US senators introduced a bipartisan package of four bills aimed at tightening export controls, tracking China's artificial intelligence capabilities and protecting American technology from foreign espionage.
Republican Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio and Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said the legislation would close loopholes that foreign adversaries, including China, could exploit.
"America must continue to compete and win in the technology race, but we know that communist China's strategy has never been to compete, but to steal and exploit," Husted said.
"This bipartisan package would strengthen our understanding of China's action, improve enforcement and protect American companies, workers and innovations from Chinese espionage," he added.
The China AI Power Report Act would require the secretaries of commerce and state to submit an annual assessment of China's advanced AI capabilities. The first report would be due within 180 days of the bill becoming law, with annual reports required for three years.
The assessment would examine China's AI chips, semiconductor factories, manufacturing equipment, data centres, computing capacity, models, research programmes and humanoid robots. It would also track attempts to evade US export controls and illicitly acquire intellectual property.
The report would compare Chinese capabilities with those of the United States and its partner countries. It would be submitted in unclassified form but could include a classified annex.
"The US must continue to lead in the technologies that will define the future, and we cannot allow China or other foreign adversaries to exploit American innovation and turn our own technologies against us," Warner said.
"These bipartisan bills make commonsense improvements that will strengthen America's national security, protect our technological edge, and bolster our global competitiveness," he said.
A second bill would extend from five to 10 years the period for bringing civil or criminal cases under the Export Control Reform Act. The lawmakers said Chinese technology-smuggling operations frequently take longer than five years to uncover and prosecute.
The ADVERSARIES Act would require the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security to review whether US-based affiliates of companies on the Entity List or Military End User List can obtain controlled products that their foreign parent companies are barred from accessing.
The review would begin within 90 days of enactment. It would also examine national security threats involving foreign-controlled information and communications technology services and recommend possible changes to US law.
The BIS STRENGTH Act would give the bureau temporary authority to recruit specialists from outside the civil service. It would permit up to 25 such appointments at any time, with each appointment limited to five years. The hiring authority itself would expire after five years.
All four measures have bipartisan companion bills in the House of Representatives. The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved its version of the China AI Power Report Act by a 47-0 vote on Jan. 21, 2026.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Interesting that they want to extend the statute of limitations from 5 to 10 years. These tech smuggling cases are so complex and global, of course it takes longer. Makes sense actually. 👍
The "steal and exploit" comment from Senator Husted is quite strong. But let's face it - every country does industrial espionage these days. The difference is the scale and efficiency of Chinese operations. India has had its own issues with counterfeit components in defense projects. This is a global problem.
As someone who works in the IT sector with teams in both India and China, I can say this is more complex than the politicians make it sound. Chinese engineers are brilliant and innovative - it's not all "stealing." But yes, there are bad actors. The nuance gets lost in these political statements.
Indians should pay attention to this! If US is closing loopholes on China, they might also tighten scrutiny on other countries. Our IT services and pharma sectors heavily depend on US market. Better to have strong IP protections and compliance mechanisms ready in India.
Honestly, these bills seem more about political posturing than practical outcomes. China has already built massive AI infrastructure. Reports require "assessment" but don't guarantee any action. It's like trying to close the stable door after the horse has bolted. India should learn from this and build better tech partnerships with everyone, not pick sides.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.