US should spy on Chinese firms to maintain edge in tech race: ex-CIA official

Former CIA deputy director David Cohen has proposed that the United States engage in economic espionage against foreign companies in order to maintain its technological edge in the global race, particularly against China. In an article published by Foreign Affairs, Cohen argues that the US has fallen behind in crucial advanced technologies due to China's aggressive efforts to secure trade secrets.

Cohen contends that a longstanding 2014 presidential policy directive, which banned spying on foreign firms to gain a competitive advantage, no longer aligns with US national interests. He asserts that other nations, including China, Russia, Cuba, France, and Israel, have long supported government-sanctioned economic espionage against American companies.

Cohen suggests that the US should focus its espionage efforts on adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, and share findings with specific frontier tech sectors such as artificial intelligence, 6G telecommunications, and quantum computing. Cohen's proposal comes amid China's efforts to strengthen protections for its trade secrets, including the introduction of draft rules and export bans on 14 technologies in various sectors.

However, analysts have raised concerns about the potential risks associated with Cohen's proposal, such as the risk of corruption, the complexity of determining which firms could receive information, and the potential undermining of the intellectual property protection system.