Government labs under threat from Chicom spies

 The Federalist Wire:

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American government laboratories are increasingly vulnerable to espionage from foreign adversaries, former Energy Department and national security officials warned lawmakers on Thursday. They pointed to growing concerns, particularly regarding Chinese researchers collaborating on “nuclear weapons work” with their U.S. counterparts.

Testifying before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, two former Department of Energy (DOE) undersecretaries for science and a former U.S. counterintelligence officer raised alarms about scientific espionage siphoning American innovations to develop advanced weaponry and technology abroad.

“China puts tremendous pressure in appropriating this innovation and then manufacturing it,” said Paul Dabbar, who served as energy undersecretary for science during the first Trump administration. He referred to intellectual property theft occurring within the DOE’s 17 national laboratories.

According to Dabbar, researchers acting on behalf of Beijing have stolen advancements in battery technology, electric vehicles, and semiconductors, with efforts even extending to emerging fields such as quantum computing and nuclear fusion.

Anna Puglisi, a fellow at the Hoover Institution and a former national counterintelligence officer for East Asia, echoed these concerns. “It’s a lot of the technologies of the future — it’s AI, it’s biotech,” she testified, highlighting the extensive scope of the threat.

Geraldine Richmond, who succeeded Dabbar as undersecretary for science, reflected on how espionage threats have evolved. “In these 50 years, I have seen dramatic changes in how we interact with countries of concern like China,” she stated. Having served on the National Science Board under both Presidents Trump and Biden, Richmond noted that the risks to U.S. scientific leadership have only intensified.

Dabbar further revealed an “astounding” case of “joint nuclear weapons work” between American and Chinese researchers, despite past federal investigations into Beijing’s talent recruitment programs. These initiatives, such as the Thousand Talents Program, have sought to transfer U.S. scientific advancements to China.

Additional probes have uncovered direct research collaborations between American and Chinese universities connected to the People’s Liberation Army. Puglisi emphasized that while many U.S. scientists may not suspect their colleagues of espionage, the evidence is well-documented. “No one wants to believe that their collaborator is stealing their technology, or the student that they’re supporting is doing that,” she said.
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What does the US get out of working with China on these technology deals?  While we might get some idea of what they are up to, we are also giving them insight as to what the US is developing.  That could lead to fatal consequences.