Top Prosecutor Targets China Trade-Secret Theft

The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, Craig Missakian, has declared that prosecuting trade-secret theft and economic espionage, especially by adversaries like China, is his paramount national security focus. Missakian highlighted the global effort to bridge the technological gap, often through illicit means.

His office will consider actions involving US adversaries such as China and Iran as a significant factor in deciding whether to pursue charges. This stance underscores the critical importance of maintaining technological dominance, which the prosecutor believes will determine future conflicts.

This focus follows recent high-profile cases. In January, a former Google engineer was convicted of economic espionage for taking AI chip technology to China. In February, two former Google engineers and a relative were indicted for allegedly stealing trade secrets related to Pixel phone processor technology.

While the Biden administration has ceased the 'China Initiative,' it continues to pursue cases involving China. Missakian assured that his office would not target individuals based on nationality or ethnicity but would remain vigilant about global threats.