On Nov. 1, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a new “China Initiative” to counter perceived national security threats to the United States from China. This initiative seeks to investigate and prosecute Chinese companies aggressively for alleged use of technology to steal information and the theft of technology itself.
“The China Initiative reflects growing tensions between China and the U.S. in areas of trade and intellectual property protections, as well as the Trump administration’s enforcement focus on Chinese companies,” said Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in a client memo authored by partners Bradley A. Klein and Steve Kwok in November 2018. “The DOJ’s China Initiative comes on the heels of recent efforts by Chinese authori-ties to assert sovereignty over cross-border data transfer under the Chinese Cybersecurity Law and to restrict companies’ ability to provide information, even on a voluntary basis, to foreign authorities under the International Criminal Judicial Assistance Law.”
Recently, the DOJ charged two Chinese citizens with global computer intrusion campaigns targeting intel-lectual property and confidential business information. According to the charges, the defendants worked for a company in China called Huaying Haitai Science and Technology Development Company and acted in association with the Chinese Ministry of State Security’s Tianjin State Security Bureau. The DOJ said that this charge was the first step of executing its China Initiative.
According to a Xinhua report, China’s Foreign Ministry spokes¬person Hua Chunying voiced firm opposition to the United States’ accusations against the two Chinese citizens under the name of “cyber theft.” She said that the accusations by the U.S. side on the issue of cybersecurity were fabricated “out of thin air.” Hua emphasized that the stance of the Chinese government has always been consistent and clear. “China staunchly champions cybersecurity, and firmly opposes and cracks down upon any form of cyber espionage. The Chinese government has never in any way participated in or supported anyone’s behavior of stealing commer¬cial secrets,” she said.
高科技之争
美国近期发起了“中国行动计划”，应对其所认为的中国对美国技术窃取造成的威胁。该计划对在美国经商的中国企业又意味着哪些挑战？
2018年11月1日，美国司法部启动“中国行动计划”，明确计划目标是反制其所认为的中国对美国国家安全造成的威胁。根据计划，美国司法部将不遗余力对涉嫌利用技术窃取信息和窃取技术的中国公司展开调查并提起诉讼。
“‘中国行动计划’其实反映了中美在贸易和知识产权保护方面日益紧张的关系，以及特朗普政府将中国公司作为执法重点的策略，”世达国际律师事务所合伙人Bradley A. Klein和Steve Kwok在2018年11月发布的法律动态中指出，“美国司法部推出该计划前不久，中国政府刚刚根据《网络安全法》采取措施，主张对跨境传输拥有主权，并对企业根据《国际刑事司法协助法》向外国政府提供信息（即使属于自愿行为）的能力加以限制。”
近日，美国司法部起诉天津华盈海泰科技发展公司两名员工朱华与张世龙，声称这两人与中国国家安全部的天津国家安全局合作，参与了APT10集团在全球的骇客行动，以窃取知识产权、商业机密或技术资讯。据悉，该案被美国司法部宣称是执行“ 中国行动计划”的一个步骤。
另据新华社报道，外交部发言人华春莹对此作出回应，美方捏造事实、无中生有， 在网络安全问题上对中方进行无端指责，以所谓“网络窃密”为由对两名中方人员进行“起诉”。华春莹强调，中国政府在网络安全问题上的立场是一贯的、明确的，“中国是网络安全的坚定维护者，一贯坚决反对并打击任何形式的网络窃密。中国政府从未以任何形式参与或支持任何人从事窃取商业秘密的行为。”
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