Sen. Jim Banks Introduces the Defending Defense Research from CCP Espionage ActTuesday, March 18, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced theDefending Defense Research from CCP EspionageAct. The bill addresses loopholes that allow the CCP to access sensitive U.S. defense research through partnerships between U.S. universities and Chinese institutions.
“For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has worked to steal American research and intellectual property to use against us. The Biden administration reversed key Trump-era policies that protected our universities and did little to stop secret research agreements that allowed DoD-funded researchers to sell their expertise to Chinese institutions. My bill will strengthen protections and close security gaps to safeguard critical U.S. defense research.”
Key Provisions:
Full bill texthere.
TheDefending Defense Research from CCP EspionageAct is supported by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Background:
A reportfrom the House Select Committee on China revealed that the CCP gains technology through U.S.-China university partnerships, giving China access to DOD-funded research. These deals often contain secret clauses, and China entices DOD-funded researchers to work for Chinese institutions with lucrative offers, which the DOD struggles to prevent.
The Biden administration ended the Trump-era China Initiative and renewed science- and technology-sharing agreements with China over congressional objections.