Voices: We can't afford to be passive about China. As a representative of Utah, I won't be.
As a member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, protecting American research from theft and national security threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is a top priority.
For more than a decade now, I have called attention to and warned that the CCP represents a serious and persistent threat to our national security. We are now becoming even more aware of just how deeply the CCP’s threat reaches into the United States homeland.
The CCP is sponsoring efforts to embed Chinese researchers in U.S. universities, including on projects funded directly by U.S. taxpayers. On June 2, the Department of Justice announced charges against two citizens of the People’s Republic of China, one with direct ties to the CCP, for allegedly smuggling dangerous biological materials into the U.S. for use at a University of Michigan (U.M.) laboratory where one of them was working. The pathogen they were carrying was identified as Fusarium graminearum, which scientists classify as a potential agroterrorism weapon. In addition to the potential damage to agriculture, the toxin causes vomiting, liver damage and reproductive defects in humans and livestock.
Just five days later, on June 8, authorities arrested another Chinese national for sending four packages containing concealed roundworm specimens from China to recipients at U.M. This individual was named a “Red Model” in 2020 — an award the CCP grants to exemplary Party-aligned students.
Given the concerning pattern of CCP-affiliated activity at Michigan, I joined several of my colleagues in writing a letter to U.M. President Domenico Grasso requesting a full investigation. We also sent a letter to the directors of the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation urging a full review of any grants awarded to U.M. related to these incidents.
This just adds to the concerns we already have about the Chinese ownership of land near critical sites in the United States. Utah recently blocked a land sale near the Provo airport from being purchased by a company majority-owned by a Chinese defense manufacturing contractor. Unfortunately, this is just one of many attempts by Chinese-owned companies to strategically acquire land. In 2024, the New York Post published a story that identified 19 military bases across the U.S. where Chinese entities purchased land within close proximity, which could be exploited by spies working for the CCP. Under the guise of farming, the Chinese landowners could set up reconnaissance sites, install tracking technology and attempt to fly surveillance drones to test security measures.
The FBI has warned the American people need to understand that “China uses a diverse range of sophisticated techniques — everything from cyber intrusions to corrupting trusted insiders. They’ve even engaged in outright physical theft. And they’ve pioneered an expansive approach to stealing innovation through a wide range of actors — including not just Chinese intelligence services, but state-owned enterprises, ostensibly private companies, certain kinds of graduate students and researchers and a whole variety of other actors working on their behalf.”
The threat is real. It is pervasive, it is relentless and I am taking action. As a Utah state senator, I voted for HB516 in 2024, a bill to restrict Chinese ownership of Utah farmland, which was signed into law in 2024. Now, as a member of Congress, I introduced HR1318, the United States Research Protection Act, which passed the House. This vital piece of legislation strengthens the security and integrity of America’s innovation enterprise by removing ambiguity in what qualifies as a malign foreign talent program and ensuring that there are no loopholes that could inadvertently allow adversarial nations to steal and exploit American technology for their own benefit.
My bill sends a clear message: America will defend its research, its intellectual property and the values that drive our world-leading innovation. This is about protecting our universities, our businesses, our national labs and our future from foreign regimes that seek to harvest the fruits of our innovation while eroding our competitive edge. There is still much to do by way of resisting the intrusions of the CCP.
As your congressman, I will continue to be a strong advocate for protecting our communities and will work to hold all bad actors accountable.
Originally published in The Salt Lake Tribune