25th Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Adversarial Foreign Investments
Dr. Roslyn Layton and her husband established China Tech Threat, a think tank dedicated to analyzing Chinese government technologies, encompassing malicious hardware, software, and business practices. Their objective is to establish a knowledge center that assists policymakers in implementing effective safeguards within their respective nations. Dr. Layton underscored the challenges associated with identifying potentially detrimental foreign investments in an early stage, citing instances such as TikTok and Lenovo, where timely intervention could have mitigated long-term risks. She emphasized the role of legislative instruments like the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) in empowering U.S. authorities to block, mitigate, or unwind risky transactions. Furthermore, she highlighted the significance of continuous policy review to address emerging threats. Key strategies include maintaining a national security focus, expanding the scope of review beyond conventional areas, identifying transactions at scale, ensuring authority to enforce conditions, maintaining confidentiality to foster trust, allocating adequate resources and personnel, and adapting to novel technological and geopolitical challenges. Ultimately, she emphasized the paramount importance of vigilance, informed decision-making, and proactive policy updates in safeguarding national security while navigating intricate foreign direct investments.
