The Department of Justice’s initiative to combat Chinese espionage and influence in the U.S., initially focused on theft of intellectual property, expanded its reach in 2020. U.S. organizations that have dealings with China will have to take this escalation into account in 2021 and beyond.
Law enforcement’s significant role in the developing international rivalry between the U.S. and China has been evident since 2018, when U.S. criminal charges led to the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Canada and the DOJ announced its China Initiative to combat theft of U.S. intellectual property. In 2020, federal law enforcement announced actions ...