Dozens of members of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, which the State Department says was established to “monitor Chinese students and mobilize them against views that dissent from the [Chinese Communist Party],” have found their way into high-level positions at American technology firms, pharmaceutical corporations, academia, and national labs — sparking industrial espionage concerns. 

CSSAs are campus organizations with known chapters at roughly 150 American colleges and universities. Their purported mission is to provide Chinese international students with social and logistical services. However, CSSA chapters are overseen by the CCP’s United Front Work Department, a global network of party loyalists tasked with gathering intelligence and exerting influence, according to the State Department. Chinese intelligence officers regularly serve as the primary point of contact for CSSA members, according to a 2018 congressional report, and chapters are often funded and directed by Chinese consulates. Reports have linked CSSA to the CCP’s Thousand Talents Plan, a component of Beijing’s strategy to recruit elite talent and acquire trade secrets.