Sen. Cotton, colleagues call on Secretary Raimondo to blacklist companies providing AI technology to China
Tensions between the U.S. and China have been on the rise
Heinrichs: Why doesn’t Biden have the confidence to confront China?
Hudson Institute senior fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs reacts to the president's meeting with Xi Jinping on 'Making Money.'
A group of GOP senators, including Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Marco Rubio of Florida, called on Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo Tuesday to blacklist companies that are providing artificial intelligence technology to the Chinese military.
The senators lamented that key technologies vital for keeping the U.S. competitive with China have found their way into the hands of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-AR, questions U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing examining the Department of Justice on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, October 27, 2021. (asos Katopodis/Pool via REUTERS)
These technologies include artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, semiconductors, biotechnology, and autonomous systems.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESS
The senators warned that the U.S. government is not doing enough to impede the flow of U.S. exports and investment to Chinese AI companies with PLA ties.
They cited a study from Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) which found that only 8% of the 273 companies that supply AI equipment to the PLA are on the Commerce Department’s blacklist. According to the study, the remaining 92% of Chinese AI companies are free to purchase key U.S. technologies for use in military applications.
The senators urged the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security to identify key American technologies that need to be safeguarded from the Chinese Community Party and add PLA AI suppliers to its blacklist.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. ( (AP Newsroom)
"Both of these actions will help bolster our national security and assure Congress that the Department of Commerce takes its duties seriously," the senators said.
Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Marco Rubio of Florida, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana signed the letter.
Fox Business has reached out to Secretary Raimondo as well as BIS and will update this story accordingly.
BIDEN PRESSES CHINA TO FULFILL TRUMP PHASE 1 DEAL
Tensions between the U.S. and China have been on the rise over the past couple of years amid the COVID-19 outbreak and hostilities over Taiwan. China has recently dispatched a growing number of fighter jets toward the island, while the U.S. and its allies sail warships through the Taiwan Strait.
President Joe Biden meets virtually with Chinese President Xi Jinping from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Nov. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (AP Photo/Susan Walsh / AP Newsroom)
President Biden and President Xi Jinping held a virtual meeting Tuesday aimed at raising hopes for better relations between their countries.
CLICK HERE TO GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO
"If China-U.S. relations cannot return to the pasty, they should face the future," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said after their exchange, calling it "conducive to increasing positive expectations … for U.S.-China relations."