The Chinese Communist Party threatens the safety and privacy of American citizens through economic espionage and theft of U.S. intellectual property, the theft of personal data of American citizens through cyber-attacks, the recent use of a spy balloon and other methods of surveillance to illegally gather intelligence on American territory, and the build-up of military capabilities that seek to eclipse the United States and our democratic allies. Under President Xi, the Chinese Communist Party has nearly tripled its defense spending in the last decade. Through the CCP's aggressive national strategy of Military- Civil Fusion, the People's Liberation Army and the Chinese government are stealing information from U.S. military and civilian targets. Most of the threats China poses to the U.S. homeland security are occurring below the threshold of traditional conflict.
