U.S. Relations With the People's Republic of China (2007)

Department of Justice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2007
WWW.USDOJ.GOV

NSD
(202) 514-2007
TDD (202) 514-1888

PREPARED REMARKS OF KENNETH L. WAINSTEIN
ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR NATIONAL SECURITY AT THE
PRACTISING LAW INSTITUTE'S 2007 EXPORT CONTROL CONFERENCE
WASHINGTON, D.C.

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According to an Intelligence Community report from last year, there are private or public entities from 108 countries that are known to be involved in collecting sensitive, controlled U.S. technology -- a startlingly high number when you think that there are only about 200 countries in the world all in all. And, as to just one country -- the Peoples Republic of China -- the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has launched more than 540 investigations of illegal technology exports to China since 2000 and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service has opened 143 such investigations in the past year alone.

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II. The Response

These violations pose a concrete threat to America. And because of that, our enforcement agencies are responding with concrete law enforcement measures. From US Immigration and Customs Enforcement doubling the number of agents assigned to these cases to the 60% increase in our export control prosecutions over the past year -- we are seeing a steady crescendo in the intensity of our efforts against this illegal trade. And these efforts are bearing fruit. In just the past month, we've seen charges or convictions in over ten different export control cases, including:

• the conviction of a Detroit man for trying to send night vision goggles, thermal imaging camera equipment and Boeing GPS modules to Hizballah;

• the filing of new charges against a scientist in Hawaii for plotting to assist China with development of its new generation cruise missile technology;

• And, the indictment of a woman in San Diego for conspiring with a Chinese agency to export accelerometers that calibrate the g-forces in nuclear and chemical explosions and have applications in the development of "smart" bombs.

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