Former U.S. President Donald Trump continues to seek to assert himself ahead of leaving the White House, with China consistently at the forefront of the issues he aims to advance.
U.S. National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien announced that, in order to reduce the risk of espionage, President Trump has directed the government to explore ways to minimize imports of Chinese goods and services. O'Brien accused China of seeking to obtain personal data, military plans, and other information by targeting U.S. government information systems through cyberattacks. He added that for this reason, the United States must take necessary steps to protect American interests, requiring a revision of our rules and policies and implementing further actions to reduce the risk of Chinese espionage against the federal government. O'Brien noted that Trump did not specify which goods were under discussion. Meanwhile, a senior U.S. official told Reuters that the goal of Trump's directive is to prevent China from accessing American information networks, indicating that the use of any Chinese equipment could become a "vulnerability" for the United States.
