Senator Stabenow Applauds U.S. Charges Against Chinese Military Officials Accused of Cyber Espionage

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness, today applauded the announcement that the Department of Justice charged five Chinese military hackers with cyber espionage to illegally gain trade secrets. Today's indictment alleges that Chinese military officials hacked into the communications networks of U.S. businesses and the United Steelworkers Union in order to steal intellectual property and other sensitive business information.

"We have seen time and time again where U.S. trade secrets and intellectual property have been stolen by hackers from China and other countries, which costs us jobs here at home," said Stabenow. "Today's announcement is an important step forward and I commend Attorney General Holder and the administration for taking concrete action to address this very serious problem. We must vigorously enforce both our laws and trade agreements to make sure that U.S. trade secrets and intellectual property are not being stolen or misused, especially by foreign governments."

Senator Stabenow chairs the Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness, which has jurisdiction over issues including increasing international trade to boost exports, cracking down on anti-competitive trade policies like currency manipulation, addressing customs issues to improve the flow of goods across our borders, and keeping counterfeit goods out of the United States.