Upon reentering the political limelight in 2025, Republicans have zealously committed themselves to countering the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), employing various legislative, economic, military, and law enforcement strategies. A significant advancement in this concerted effort arose in February 2025, when Senator Rick Scott put forth the Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act. This legislation seeks to restore and solidify President Trump’s CCP Initiative through the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
This bill aims at curbing trade secret theft, economic espionage, and cyberattacks linked to the CCP, reinforcing enforcement of foreign investment regulations, and enhancing cooperation among the DOJ, FBI, and other federal entities. Additionally, it promises to fund dedicated operations that directly address threats posed by the CCP to U.S. technology, infrastructure, and supply chains.
Senator Scott has dubbed the CCP one of the most pressing dangers to America’s national security, criticizing President Biden for dismantling Trump’s original China Initiative, which had exposed numerous espionage activities. Scott contends that reviving this program will arm Trump to tackle Beijing’s economic and technological incursions, allowing him to “Make America Safe Again.”
Representative Lance Gooden, who is co-sponsoring the bill in the House, reinforced that China has long engaged in stealing from American businesses, penetrating institutions, and destabilizing the economy. He emphasized that this legislation sends a firm ultimatum indicating the U.S. will no longer endure the CCP’s interference in its affairs.
In a parallel saga, President Trump has enacted a barrage of trade and economic maneuvers aimed at countering the CCP and safeguarding U.S. national security. He has slapped tariffs ranging from 10% to 125% on all imports from China, invoking Beijing’s unfair trading habits and its negligence in curbing the flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals to criminal enterprises. To further mitigate the opioid crisis, Trump issued an executive order terminating the duty-free treatment for low-value imports from China, effectively sealing the loophole that had enabled Chinese e-commerce firms to thrive.
Alongside these tariffs, the administration has tightened U.S. export controls targeting CCP-affiliated subsidiaries, imposing sanctions on any entity that is at least 50% owned by companies previously placed on the Commerce Department’s Entity List.
Trump also initiated a Section 232 investigation concerning the national security implications of America’s reliance on imported processed critical minerals, spurred by China’s suspension of exports on six heavy rare earth metals and rare earth magnets aimed at disrupting supplies to U.S. car makers, aerospace firms, and defense contractors.
In early 2025, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth undertook a strategic pivot in U.S. military policy, focusing on the ominous rise of China. A classified memo from March 2025, known as the Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance, identified China as the “sole pacing threat” and posited a potential invasion of Taiwan as a primary concern for U.S. defense planning. This document urged the Pentagon to prioritize deterrence efforts in the Indo-Pacific and to safeguard the U.S. homeland while “assuming risk” in Europe and elsewhere.
During the May 2025 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Hegseth reiterated this new strategy, issuing a stark warning that Beijing is “actively preparing to use military force to shift the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.” He asserted the United States is ready to “fight and win” against China should deterrence falter and called on Asian allies to bolster their defense spending to 5% of GDP.
At the same time, Hegseth ramped up the strategic positioning of U.S. military assets near China. The Marine Corps deployed the NMESIS precision anti-ship missile system to the Philippines’ Batanes province, a mere 120 miles from Taiwan. Furthermore, the U.S. Army stationed its Mid-Range Capability Typhon missile launcher in the Philippines, equipped to strike China’s eastern coastline, while scheduling a further deployment to Australia for a live-fire demonstration later in 2025.
Washington and Canberra have moved towards a collaborative production of 155mm artillery shells and the assembly of guided multiple-launch rocket systems in Australia. Concurrently, the U.S. has upgraded the joint headquarters of U.S. Forces Japan to integrate land, air, sea, space, and cyber operations under one unified command.
As of mid-2025, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command supervises over 300,000 personnel in the region, including 54,000 stationed in Japan, with the 7th Fleet based in Yokosuka, Marine forces in Okinawa, and extensive air assets located at Kadena Air Base. This dual-track approach starkly signals Hegseth’s objective to realign American military resources to confront the CCP while simultaneously managing immediate security demands in other theaters.
The U.S. law enforcement agencies have noticeably intensified their efforts to counter the threats from Chinese espionage and cyber operations. In March, the Department of Justice charged 12 Chinese nationals, including two officials from China’s Ministry of Public Security, accusing them of orchestrating a global hacking initiative that compromised the U.S. Treasury between September and December 2024. The defendants are alleged to have conducted intrusions under the directives of both China’s Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of State Security.
In June, the DOJ apprehended two additional Chinese nationals in Oregon and Texas for acting as agents of the Ministry of State Security; these individuals facilitated payments for classified information and attempted to recruit U.S. Navy personnel.
The Treasury Department, back in January 2025, put sanctions on Integrity Technology Group, a Beijing-based cybersecurity firm, for its involvement in cyber intrusions linked to Flax Typhoon, a state-sponsored hacking faction targeting U.S. critical infrastructure. Since that point, the Treasury Department has imposed restrictions on at least 85 Chinese companies and entities.
Senator Rick Scott’s introduction of the Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act is indicative of a structured approach to re-establish the China Initiative within the DOJ’s National Security Division, aimed squarely at tackling trade secret theft, economic espionage, and cyber threats emanating from CCP-linked organizations.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is pivotal in the federal counter-offensive against threats from the CCP, concentrating on border security, fentanyl interdiction, and cybersecurity. Within DHS, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) leads the charge to safeguard the nation’s cyber and physical infrastructure, acting as the operational backbone for federal cybersecurity and the defense of civilian executive branch networks.
CISA has flagged state-sponsored Chinese cyber actors as a dire threat, cautioning that they are embedding within U.S. information technology systems to facilitate overtures into operational networks, potentially disrupting critical infrastructure at their discretion.
In response, CISA extends essential intelligence, guidance, and resources to critical infrastructure entities, government agencies, and private stakeholders to bolster defenses. The agency also champions public-private collaboration to enhance transparency, share intelligence, and coordinate a cohesive response to Chinese cyber vulnerabilities.
The FBI has distinguished counterintelligence and economic espionage stemming from China and the CCP as foremost national security priorities, labeling them as significant threats to the United States’ economic stability and democratic fabric.
Under President Trump, the initiative to safeguard U.S. interests against China has evolved into a comprehensive government strategy, engaging the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, War, and Homeland Security, alongside multiple congressional committees.
