Commentary
The Department of Homeland Security’s 2025 Homeland Threat Assessment highlights communist China as a significant threat to the United States. This threat includes activities such as economic espionage, intellectual property theft, cyber operations, transnational repression, illegal immigration, synthetic drug trafficking, geopolitical influence campaigns, and subnational engagements.
The
report examines key concerns related to public safety, economic security, and geopolitical competition, emphasizing China’s use of covert and overt tactics to undermine U.S. national interests. Of particular concern is Beijing’s campaign of
transnational repression, targeting CCP critics in the U.S. through surveillance, harassment, and cyber operations. Recent indictments of CCP-backed hackers reveal ongoing efforts to intimidate dissidents and steal intellectual property.
The Chinese regime’s involvement in economic espionage, intellectual property crimes, and information theft costs the U.S. billions annually. Beijing employs aggressive strategies to steal sensitive technology and intellectual property, undermining U.S. competitiveness. Recent charges against individuals linked to China for intellectual property theft and sanctions violations highlight the extent of these activities.
Beijing’s illicit procurement efforts focus on acquiring proprietary technologies and intellectual property from U.S. manufacturers and research institutions through direct theft and espionage. This poses a significant risk to U.S. national security by transferring advanced technologies to the People’s Liberation Army. The Chinese regime’s exploitation of vulnerabilities in global supply chains is evident in the presence of U.S.-made semiconductors in Russian military equipment.
U.S. authorities have charged multiple individuals involved in intellectual property theft and illegal export controls linked to China, Iran, and Russia. These efforts aim to combat illicit activities that threaten U.S. economic and national security interests.
China’s economic espionage is further supported by its engagements with U.S. state, local, and private sector officials, enabling Beijing to align policies with CCP priorities and exploit opportunities for espionage. The risks are compounded by Beijing’s counterespionage law, mandating cooperation with state intelligence operations and exposing U.S. entities to potential theft of sensitive information.
Beijing’s subversive activities extend to attempts to influence and destabilize U.S. institutions and societal cohesion. The CCP employs various tactics to sow division and erode public trust, including the use of advanced technologies to disseminate misinformation. The regime also targets ethnic and religious minorities, political dissidents, Taiwan supporters, and journalists to suppress dissent.
Beijing’s cyber operations and subversive tactics aim to intimidate dissidents, suppress opposition, and steal sensitive information. These operations have targeted U.S.-based critics and political figures, highlighting the regime’s efforts to undermine the U.S. Both legal and illegal channels are exploited to manipulate U.S. interactions at local and state levels, posing long-term threats to economic and national security.
The surge in encounters at the U.S.–Mexico border involving Chinese nationals raises concerns about potential infiltration by CCP agents. Despite the increase, Border Patrol’s screening process remains superficial, leaving authorities ill-equipped to assess potential threats. China-linked firms play a key role in the synthetic drug crisis in the U.S. by supplying chemical precursors that fuel an overdose epidemic.
Furthermore, exacerbating the crisis is the involvement of Chinese money laundering organizations in aiding cartels in repatriating drug proceeds back to Mexico’s banking system, cementing China’s crucial role in the synthetic opioid supply chain.
The 2025 Homeland Threat Assessment underscores the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) relentless efforts to undermine U.S. security, economic stability, and democratic institutions. Through activities such as economic espionage, cyber operations, facilitation of the synthetic drug crisis, and manipulation of U.S. policies via subnational engagements, Beijing presents a clear and multifaceted threat. Addressing these challenges will necessitate robust enforcement measures, bolstered cybersecurity protocols, and coordinated actions across all government levels to safeguard U.S. interests and sovereignty against the expanding influence of the CCP.
Opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and may not necessarily align with the viewpoints of The Epoch Times.
