US Lawmakers Ask Pentagon for List of Chinese Companies That Conduct ‘Economic Espionage’

The U.S. Department of Defense seal is seen on the lecturn in the media briefing room at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12, 2013. Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers asked the Pentagon on Sept. 12 to name companies owned by the Chinese military operating in the United States, as they seek to curb what they called Beijing’s effort to “steal” technology for military purposes.

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.