Conservative groups urge lawmakers to bolster US technology protections against China

More than a dozen conservative groups Monday wrote to lawmakers urging them to take action to protect U.S. innovation from Beijing as the House sets up a series of votes to crack down on China.

In a letter first obtained by The Hill, the conservative leaders call on members of Congress to put aside partisan differences to confront the growing threat from China when it comes to technology and research.

“America looks to the next Congress and presidential administration to address China’s threat to overtake the United States as [a] global technological leader,” the letter states. “We ask leaders in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as well as in the current administration and those working with former President Trump, to commit to efforts over the remainder of this year and beyond for bolstering our nation’s mainstays for outpacing China. If ever there were a time when partisan division should stop at the ocean’s edge, that time is now.”

Fourteen conservative leaders signed onto the letter, including James Edwards, head of Conservatives for Property Rights, and Ed Martin, president of Phyllis Schlafly Eagles. Other signatories include the leaders of the U.S. Business and Industry Council, the American Policy Center, Americans for Limited Government and the American Association of Senior Citizens.

The letter calls for lawmakers to take action to bolster the U.S. patent system and protect intellectual property rights to guard against Chinese influence.

“Maintaining a strong U.S. patent system is the best response for countering threats to U.S. technological leadership,” the letter states. 

The letter was sent to lawmakers as House Republicans teed up “China Week” as lawmakers returned from recess, with multiple China-related bills expected to come to the floor.

One bill, titled the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act, would move to ban foreign adversaries from purchasing agricultural lands in the U.S. Another measure, dubbed the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act, would bar the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from giving funding to higher education institutions that have Confucius Institutes.