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Bill could curb China’s ability to use American intellectual property

A bill that’s been introduced into the US Senate could help prevent China from intellectual property theft, including stealing agriculture technology.

Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts says the bill strengthens oversight of science and technology agreements between the two countries. “We have to make sure that we’re not potentially arming our adversaries with high-tech products that they are going to use them in a civilian way and apply it in a military way. We’ve got to have a lot of oversight on this, and it extends to agriculture as well in terms of what are providing to the Chinese?”

He tells Brownfield he hopes to avoid a similar situation from 2016. “We had spy caught trying to get on a plane a few years ago in Iowa trying to take seed corn with him. This is a problem, not just about computers or something, this is about any intellectual property we have.”

The bill would require the Secretary of State to provide comprehensive details to Congress about any new, renewed, or extended agreement and establishing a minimum 30-day Congressional review period. The agreements are renewed every five years.