US Lawmakers Warn of Escalating Chinese Drive to Acquire American AI and Sensitive Technologies

Washington, June 2026 : American lawmakers have raised fresh concerns over what they describe as China’s increasingly aggressive campaign to obtain cutting-edge US technologies, warning that Beijing is using a combination of cyber espionage, intelligence operations, academic collaborations and commercial investments to strengthen its economic and military capabilities.

The warning came during a hearing of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, where former Acting Director of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), David Shedd, told lawmakers that China’s efforts to gain access to American innovations had become more sophisticated and widespread in recent years.

Shedd said Beijing had developed an extensive network to acquire sensitive commercial and technological information, enabling the country to accelerate its rise as a global technology power.

“The campaign blends cyber espionage, human intelligence, academic collaboration and commercial investments,” Shedd told the committee. “It has played a significant role in propelling China’s rapid economic growth and military advancement.”

According to Shedd, Chinese intelligence agencies actively target American companies, universities and research institutions involved in critical sectors such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, telecommunications, semiconductors and advanced defence technologies.

He cautioned that businesses, professors and academic researchers had all become potential targets of Chinese intelligence operations.

“Corporate America, professors and academic researchers are all fair targets,” Shedd said, adding that China’s intelligence apparatus has expanded significantly in both size and operational capability over the past decade.

A major focus of the hearing was the emerging challenge posed by artificial intelligence and allegations that Chinese technology companies are attempting to replicate advanced American AI systems without making comparable research investments.

Lawmakers referred to reports alleging that Chinese technology giant Alibaba had targeted US-based AI company Anthropic through a technique known as a “distillation” attack.

Explaining the concept, Shedd said distillation enables developers to extract knowledge from sophisticated AI models and recreate similar capabilities at a fraction of the original development cost.

“They’re able to bypass the enormous investment that American AI companies have made,” he said. “This allows Chinese firms to leapfrog years of expensive research and development.”

He warned that such practices could undermine America’s technological leadership unless stronger safeguards are implemented to protect intellectual property and advanced research.

Shedd urged closer cooperation between the federal government, private industry and academic institutions to safeguard what he described as the “crown jewels” of American innovation.

During the hearing, lawmakers also discussed broader measures to counter Chinese influence operations. When asked what immediate action Congress could take, Shedd pointed to concerns surrounding the social media platform TikTok, arguing that enforcing existing legislation governing the app would help protect sensitive user data while signalling Washington’s resolve to Beijing.

The hearing underscored growing bipartisan concern that technological competition has become one of the defining elements of the broader strategic rivalry between the United States and China.

Artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacturing, quantum computing, biotechnology and other emerging technologies are increasingly viewed not only as drivers of economic growth but also as assets with significant military and national security implications.

Lawmakers indicated that strengthening protections for America’s innovation ecosystem and preventing the transfer of critical technologies would remain a key priority as Washington seeks to maintain its technological edge in an increasingly competitive global landscape.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)