US lawmakers urge Trump to bar Americans from aiding Chinese security agencies

In a latest move, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Democratic Senator Ron Wyden and Republican Senator John Cornyn, have urged the Trump administration to prohibit U.S. citizens and businesses from providing support to civilian intelligence and security agencies in China and Russia.

While a 2018 law successfully banned Americans from aiding foreign military intelligence agencies, it left a loophole that still permits assistance to civilian-led intelligence bodies.

Lawmakers emphasized that delayed implementation of stricter 2022 measures has left critical vulnerabilities, allowing foreign intelligence services to potentially hire U.S. consultants and acquire advanced American surveillance, cyber, and artificial intelligence technology.

Rules implementing a 2022 congressional measure to bolster controls have not yet been finalized, leaving "glaring loopholes that harm U.S. national security and foreign policy interests," Democratic Senator Ron Wyden and Republican John Cornyn wrote in a letter addressed to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

"Foreign intelligence agencies in many countries can still legally hire consultants in the United States and buy advanced U.S. surveillance, cyber, and artificial intelligence technology, for use in their intelligence operations to target Americans, and operate against American national security and foreign policy interests," the senators wrote in the letter dated Tuesday.

As reported the letter comes as congressional pressure from both sides of the aisle mounts on the administration to take a tougher line on China ahead of a visit to Washington next month by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

A decision by the Trump administration earlier this year to allow Nvidia, to sell advanced AI chips to China has drawn fire from both parties.

Democratic Senator Peter Welch, Republican Congressmen Michael McCaul and Pat Harrigan and Democratic Congresswoman Sara Jacobs also signed the letter.