Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below regarding the cyber agreements announced today between the U.S. and China:
“For far too long, China has stolen from American businesses and given our trade secrets to its own companies. Today’s agreement, that ‘neither country’s government will conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property,’ could prove to be a first step toward ending this practice and protecting American individuals and businesses. That said, we will need to remain vigilant in our efforts prevent future cyber attacks and in monitoring China’s compliance with the agreement. In the meantime, I will continue working with Senator Graham and other colleagues in Congress to improve American cyber defenses and strengthen our ability to respond to future attacks.”
Senator Whitehouse has long been a leader in efforts to prevent economic espionage, having released a discussion draft of legislation with Senator Lindsey Graham in 2013. Whitehouse also pressed the issue with Chinese officials directly during a trip there with Senator John McCain.
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