Congressional Panel Calls Chinese Spying Greatest Threat to U.S. Technology

WASHINGTON — "A congressional advisory panel said Thursday that Chinese spying in America represents the greatest threat to U.S. technology and recommended lawmakers consider financing counterintelligence efforts meant to stop China from stealing U.S. manufacturing expertise.

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission also said in its annual report to Congress that small and medium U.S. manufacturers, which represent more than half the manufacturing jobs in America, "face the full brunt of China's unfair trade practices, including currency manipulation and illegal subsidies for Chinese exports."

China's economic policies create a trade relationship that is "severely out of balance" in China's favor, said the commission, which Congress set up in 2000 to investigate and report on U.S.-China issues.

Carolyn Bartholomew, the commission's chairwoman, told reporters that "China's interest in moving toward a free market economy is not just stalling but is actually now reversing course."

The commission's Democratic and Republican appointees have begun meeting with congressional staff and lawmakers to discuss the report's 42 recommendations.

In the report, the commission said China's spies allow Chinese companies to get new technology "without the necessity of investing time or money to perform research." Chinese espionage was said to be straining U.S. counterintelligence officials and helping China's military modernization.

While the report praised China for some economic progress this year, improvements were undertaken "with great hesitancy and, even then, only with the prodding of other nations and the World Trade Organization."

China, it said, "maintains a preference for authoritarian controls over its economy" and has done too little to police widespread copyright piracy of foreign goods sold in China.

The commission also faulted China for keeping its currency artificially low. American manufacturers have long complained that Beijing's low currency makes Chinese goods cheaper in the United States and American products more expensive in China.

China's dependence on coal, lack of energy efficiency and poor enforcement of environmental regulations, the report said, "are creating devastating environmental effects that extend throughout the region and beyond to the United States."

The commission said tensions between Taiwan and China have created an "emotionally charged standoff that risks armed conflict if not carefully managed by both sides. Such a conflict could involve the United States."

The U.S. has hinted it would go to war to protect Taiwan if nuclear-armed China were to attack. China claims Taiwan as its own and vows to attack at any declaration of independence by the island's leaders.

The report also described what it said was China's tight control over information distribution, which allows Beijing "to manage and manipulate the perceptions of the Chinese people, often promoting nationalism and xenophobia.

Beijing, the report said, uses its control of the media to influence its perception in the U.S.; that could endanger U.S. citizens if reports on food and product safety and disease outbreaks are manipulated."

"Tight control over information distribution." "...Control of the media to influence its perception..."

Sounds an awful lot like our own liberal Jurassic Press. Manipulate, color, and at times even manufacture the news in order to promote a political agenda.

Guess the yellow peril stole more from America than we thought. Lie, cheat, steal, manipulate the press.

No wonder the Clinton's are so beloved by the Chinese.

Birds of a feather.