Theft of universities’ secrets fuels US crackdown on Chinese talent programmes

An image showing a hand stealing a star off the US flag

Source: © Dan Bright

Government worries that national labs and universities are complacent about the threat to intellectual property

Intellectual property theft has become a growing worry for the US government. There is concern that US universities, government research facilities and companies are vulnerable to theft of sensitive information by China and other hostile foreign governments. Amid fears that the US is in danger of losing its technological edge over competitors, the government is seeking to crackdown on Chinese government programmes operating in the country.