WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the
Senate Judiciary Committee, is joining Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Ted Cruz
(R-Texas), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), Josh Hawley
(R-Missouri) and Mike Braun (R-Indiana) to introduce the People’s Liberation
Army (PLA) Visa Security Act, legislation to prohibit individuals currently or
previously employed or sponsored by Chinese military institutions from
receiving student or research visas to the United States. This bill would also
establish a list of research institutions affiliated with the PLA and mandate that
the State Department conduct background checks on Chinese nationals applying
for research visas in the United States. Bill text may be found
here.
“We’ve seen time and again how the communist
Chinese government has sought to infiltrate and exploit U.S. research and
academic institutions. This bill ensures that visa applicants are thoroughly
vetted and Chinese nationals affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army
aren’t granted access to our most sensitive research and intellectual
property,” Grassley said.
“Allowing members of the People’s Liberation Army
unfettered access to research visas is an open invitation to
steal American research, ingenuity, and intellectual property. The United
States shouldn’t be arming our greatest adversary—our bill will block Chinese
military affiliated people from receiving student and research visas to the
United States,” Cotton said.
“The Chinese Communist
Party exploits our visa system to infiltrate American institutions at every
level. The People’s Liberation Army systematically sends Chinese engineers and
scientists abroad to exploit research projects to access sensitive data and
technology. The PLA Visa Security Act provides an additional screening layer to
ensure applicants are not affiliated with the Chinese military. I am proud to
again join Sen. Cotton on this important bill,” said Cruz.
“COVID-19 has made it
clear just how vulnerable we are to the global threat posed by the Chinese
Communist Party,” said Rubio. “We must ensure that individuals
linked to the CCP’s People’s Liberation Army are not able to obtain research
and student visas, which enable the theft of American technology. It is in our
national security interest to ensure the CCP isn’t taking advantage of our open
system to steal American intellectual property.”
“American innovation and
ingenuity are our nation’s greatest assets and the envy of adversaries around
the globe including China,” said Tuberville. “Without a
hardline approach to safeguard our research, Chinese military institutions will
continue to steal our intellectual property for their own benefit. Restricting
Chinese military institution’s access to American visas ensures our innovation
and research cannot be used against us.”
“The Chinese Communist
Party exploits the student visa system to build its military on the backs of
American research and ingenuity. Our universities and tech companies have
become targets of Chinese espionage and intellectual property theft. We must
secure American research and development against the Chinese Communist Party
and their military,” said Hawley.
“The Chinese Communist
Party doesn’t play by the rules, and there is a serious risk to American
national security and our intellectual property by allowing those who are
currently or have previously been involved with Chinese military institutions
to study in the United States. I’m proud to join Senator Cotton to stop the
U.S. from arming China’s People’s Liberation Army with American
innovation,” said Braun.
In a recent think tank
report,
the PLA Visa Security Act was endorsed by President Biden’s current NSC Senior
Director for International Economics and Competitiveness Peter Harrell, NSC
Senior Director for China Rush Doshi, nominee to serve as Assistant Secretary
of Defense for the Indo-Pacific Ely Ratner, and nominee to serve as DoD
Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation Susanna Blume, and nominee
to serve as Assistance Secretary for Terrorist Financing Elizabeth Rosenberg.
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