The DIUx report’s findings, which began circulating confidentially around Washington in the spring of 2017, were astounding. They demonstrated that even while the Chinese were paring back on stealing the fruits of American industry—Obama’s agreement with Xi had begun to have some effect—they had found many perfectly legal ways to invest in it. A government that still gave lip service to communism had figured out venture capitalism—and concluded it was the shortest path to get the technologies the country needed.
