U.S. lawmakers to Pentagon: Give us the names

In the letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the lawmakers cited a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal 1999 and requested the public release of an updated list “as soon as possible” to “combat China’s economic espionage in the United States,” Reuters reported on Thursday. Companies owned by the Chinese government “acquire American firms to transfer proprietary information,” among other tactics, according to the letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper. It was written by Democratic and Republican senators and representatives, including U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. The accusations are meritless, according to a Chinese embassy spokesperson, who said that China’s strategy simply strives to integrate defense and economic sectors. A 2018 Pentagon report said China dominates the global supply of rare earth minerals critical to U.S. military operations, and that, “China represents a significant and growing risk to the supply of materials and technologies deemed strategic and critical to U.S. national security.”