US spy Illustration: Chen Xia/Global Times

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that "the Pentagon is looking to build a more robust deep-cover spying program to conduct economic warfare against China and other US competitors," apparently to serve as a "secret dagger" in its economic war. In other words, the core of this new plan is to build a cadre of agents operating under non-official covers. Their targets are no longer primarily the traditional military and diplomatic domains, but large numbers of private companies. The report has ripped away the fig leaf of the US' claim of "rules-based order" and "fair competition."

Washington clearly understands the implications. After the story broke, the Pentagon rushed out a denial. Almost no one believes it. As recently as September, CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis publicly confirmed the agency is expanding espionage targets to private Chinese AI, semiconductor, and biotech firms. Senior US officials have made no secret of designating private Chinese technology firms as intelligence targets, while publicly floating the idea of this deep-cover espionage program in advance.

When state intelligence agencies intervene directly in commercial competition and use espionage to steal corporate technology and trade secrets, they cross the most basic line of fair competition in a market economy. Alarmingly, once this model of economic espionage takes hold, private companies in every country risk becoming targets of infiltration and theft. Some former CIA officials have even proposed lifting existing restrictions so that intelligence agencies can pass stolen economic secrets to US firms to help them gain market advantage. The international community should be highly alert to this blatant logic of robbery and firmly oppose it.

How should we view this, and what should we do? First, vigilance cannot be relaxed. Second, there is no need for overreaction. China has long been prepared for this kind of underhanded moves outside the normal rules. Laws and regulations such as the Counter-Espionage Law provide the tools; relevant departments have consistently and resolutely cracked down on overseas attempts to steal secrets and have fully protected the technological achievements and legitimate rights of Chinese enterprises. Any scheme that relies on covert espionage to steal China's scientific and technological innovations or to suppress Chinese companies will not succeed.