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COMMITTEE REPORT: American VC Firms Investing Billions into PRC Companies Fueling the CCP's Military, Surveillance State, and Uyghur Genocide

February 8, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) unveiled the findings of their bipartisan investigation into five U.S. venture capital firms. The lawmakers found that these firms invested at least $3 billion in, and provided expertise and other benefits to, People's Republic of China (PRC) critical technology companies, including many aiding the Chinese military, surveillance state, or the CCP's genocide in Xinjiang.

The five firms used as case studies in the investigation are GGV Capital, GSR Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Sequoia Capital China, and Walden International. Chairman Gallagher and Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi uncovered that these firms funneled over $1.9 billion to AI companies that support China’s human rights abuses or military, and at least another $1.2 billion into the PRC’s semiconductor sector– including semiconductor companies that advance the CCP’s military, genocidal, and techno-totalitarian ambitions. The report also highlights other investments that may raise significant security or human rights concerns.

In the report, the lawmakers write, “The Committee’s findings suggest that there are billions of dollars beyond those captured in this report that have flowed into PRC companies that support the PRC’s military, digital authoritarianism, and efforts to develop technological supremacy and undermine American technological leadership. The status quo is untenable. . . . Decades of investment—including funding, knowledge transfer, and other intangible benefits—from U.S. VCs have helped build and strengthen the PRC’s priority sectors.”

 

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In certain cases, the lawmakers even uncovered internal VC memorandums stating that Chinese investments were more attractive if the company supported the Chinese government's surveillance state or its strategy for technological supremacy, designed to weaken the United States. The lawmakers also lay out how, beyond dollars, these investments provide credibility and know-how to problematic PRC companies.

After uncovering the billions of dollars and intangible benefits VC firms have provided these companies tied to the CCP’s military and human rights abuses, Chairman Gallagher and Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi recommend the United States immediately:

  • Restrict U.S. investment in entities sanctioned or red-flagged by the U.S. Government for ties to the PLA, or forced labor and genocide.
  • Implement additional sectoral outbound investment restrictions in areas related to the PRC’s critical and emerging technologies, military capabilities, and human rights abuses, building upon those recently established through executive action for PRC AI, semiconductor, and quantum computing companies. 

Read Chairman Gallagher and Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi’s report: "The CCP's Investors- How American Venture Capital Fuels the PRC Military and Human Rights Abuses" HERE.

Background:

In July 2023, Chairman Gallagher and Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi launched investigations into GGV Capital, GSR Venters, Qualcomm Ventures and Walden international after publicly available investment data indicated the firms were among the leading U.S. VCs in the PRC’s AI sector.

  • Click HERE to read the letter to GGV Capital
  • Click HERE to read the letter to GSR Ventures
  • Click HERE to read the letter to Qualcomm Ventures
  • Click HERE to read the letter to Walden International

In October 2023, following similarly concerning public reports, Chairman Gallagher and Ranking Member expanded the investigation to include Sequoia Capital.

  • Click HERE to read the letter to Sequoia.