Krishnamoorthi, Gallagher, Hinson Discuss CCP IP Theft in Agriculture Industry with Iowa Farmers

Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-IA) participate in Thursday’s roundtable event on IP theft by the CCP in the American agriculture industry

DYSART, IA – On Thursday, Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI), and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-IA) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the CCP held a roundtable discussion in Dysart, Iowa to discuss the Chinese Communist Party’s intellectual property theft in the agriculture industry.

The lawmakers were joined by Iowa farmers and a local seed dealer, who detailed the impacts of the CCP’s IP theft and economic espionage on their businesses, and the American agriculture industry at large.

“Today’s conversation has shown the impact that the CCP’s IP theft and economic espionage has on everyday Americans, like those whom we heard from today,” said Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi. “I look forward to using the insights gained today to work with my colleagues in a bipartisan manner to further protect American technology and ensure that foreign adversaries like the CCP do not benefit from American technology any longer.”

“For generations, American farmers have led the world in productivity and innovation. But now, the Chinese Communist Party wants to overtake the American farmer and is willing to steal our intellectual property, buy our farmland, and break its trade promises to do so,” said Chairman Gallagher. “Congress needs to step up its protection of U.S. agricultural technology and our farmland. We cannot allow the CCP to undermine what has always been a source of American strength - our farmers.”

“The CCP has long worked to undermine American agriculture and dominate the global food supply – whether its stealing valuable seeds directly from the ground, quietly buying up our farmland, or through their deceptive trade practices. Tomorrow, Iowa farmers and ag stakeholders will provide their firsthand insight into the threat the CCP poses to our food security and ag innovation, as well as vulnerabilities in the agriculture supply chain that directly impact our national security. Having the Chairman and Ranking Member in Tama County – the site of China’s most brazen ag IP theft – for this roundtable shows the Select Committee’s commitment to hearing directly from the source as we develop the right policy solutions to protect American agriculture,” said Congresswoman Hinson.

Click HERE for a full recording of the discussion.

For a full transcript of Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi’s remarks, see below.

Thank you so much, Mike. And thank you to all of you. And thank you to Ashley for hosting us. Thank you to Youngblut Ag and thank you to the panelists who are going to present as well.

I’m from Illinois, and the senator, the moment he heard me say that, said, “I’m praying for you,” so I understand there’s a little rivalry between Illinois and Iowa, but we can all agree that the purpose that has brought us here today is very important, and the purpose is very simple, which the Chairman so eloquently stated, which is, how do we prevent the theft of hard-earned intellectual property that you folks have spent years developing here in Iowa, and places like Illinois, Wisconsin, and indeed, all of America.

And so, I have a story, similar to what Mike laid out.

In 201, a gentleman named, Haitao Xiang was working at Mon Santo. And he worked at Mon Santo for about nine years. And one day, he bought a one-way ticket to China. Before he departed for O’Hare, he put a secret algorithm, a proprietary piece of software, on an SD card. And then he put that in his pocket.

What he didn’t know is that employees at his company were suspicious of his activities. They monitored his email traffic and alerted the FBI to what was going on. So when he arrived at O’Hare and went through the usual checks, an FBI agent was waiting for him, and they discovered an SD card in his belongings, and then they were able to prosecute the intellectual property theft.

Think about all the things that had to happen for that prosecution to unfold. And think about all the IP theft that is probably happening without us knowing.

So, part of the reason the Chairman and I are here today is to shine a light on what is going on, so more people are alerted to this illegal activity. And then secondly, to figure out what we do about this. Because we can’t sustain this anymore. We can’t have a situation where we’re constantly developing secrets and research and doing the hard work of innovating, and then all of a sudden having that being stolen from us. Especially when agricultural imports, especially from [Congresswoman Hinson’s] district, are so vital to our economy.

So with that, I just want to say you are not only feeding America and the world, you’re feeding innovating, and you’re feeding prosperity.

So I just want to say thank you again for allowing me to be here with you, and I yield back.

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