Iowa farmers on Thursday accused the Chinese Communist Party of orchestrating the theft of valuable genetically engineered seeds in the United States, according to Newsweek.
Farmers argued that the Chinese were known to mine genetically modified seeds that boosted crop yields for scientific research, making the seeds a valuable trade secret for the U.S. agricultural sector. according to to Newsweek. The farmers brought the allegations to a bipartisan delegation of congressmen who attended a roundtable Thursday in Dysart, Iowa.
Farmers pay to use genetically modified seeds, one farmer told Newsweek. Allowing the Chinese to use their seeds in China and allowing Chinese companies to skip R&D is stealing U.S. intellectual property (IP) and trade secrets to gain an edge. , explained the farmer in detail.
According to Newsweek, Republican Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher said at a roundtable, “In my opinion, this is one of the larger, national slow-motion heists of American intellectual property. department,” he said. “Whether it’s in Silicon Valley or here in the cornfields of Iowa, we have a duty to protect all technology.”
Chinese state-owned firms facilitate intellectual theft https://t.co/FbbDJQYqx7 pic.twitter.com/06pwGUc4Vb
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According to Newsweek, participants in the debate cited an incident in 2012 in which a local farmer witnessed a man in an office uniform dig up his own seeds, which were sent back to China. Chinese national Mo Hailong was eventually arrested by authorities on charges of theft of US agricultural trade secrets and was convicted in 2016 of several conspiracy-related charges. according to To the Department of Justice press release.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) estimates that China’s theft of US intellectual property costs the US economy as much as $600 billion annually. according to According to a 2019 report by the agency. FBI Director Chris Wray said in a July 2020 paper: speech He said his unit had observed a 1,300% spike in intellectual property theft and corporate espionage cases linked to China.
According to Newsweek, Illinois Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamooti said at a roundtable, “We can’t keep this going any longer.” “We are constantly developing secrets, research, and doing the hard work of innovation, but it is difficult, especially when agricultural exports, especially from your district and elsewhere, are restricted. There can be no situation where it is suddenly stolen from us.It is very important for the economy.”
Emerging from the US breadbasket, the allegations surfaced following months of intensifying provocations from Beijing. A CCP spy balloon flew across the skies of the continental United States in February, CCP-linked hackers compromised the email accounts of several senior U.S. officials earlier this summer, and just last weekend Chinese malware was sent to the military. Reports had just surfaced that they had breached networks critical to supporting bases and military bases. critical infrastructure.
Neither the State Department nor China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately responded to requests for comment.
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