By Mike Hothi
Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced Monday that, following a Committee investigation, China is responsible for a large amount of counterfeit goods that are integrated into United States military equipment.
The results of a Senate Armed Services Committee investigation into counterfeit electronic parts showed that over 70 percent of counterfeit goods used by the Defense Department’s supply chain come from China.
“We are going to take action to stop the flood of counterfeit parts at the source and that source is mostly China,” Levin said.
According to the Michigan Democrat, China has, to this point, been uncooperative with the investigation.
“If China will not act promptly, then we should treat all electronic parts from China as suspected counterfeits,” said Levin.
This would mean requiring inspection at all ports that house Chinese electronics. Levin said that the costs of these inspections would be levied on the shippers.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) echoed Levin’s concern of the Asian country saying that “we need to realize that this issue is part of a broader challenge we face in our relations with the People’s Republic of China. The fact is that it’s falling short in certain important areas of its obligations as a responsible stakeholder in the international system.”
McCain and Levin have been critical of China as of late for failing to prevent counterfeit materials from entering the supply chain. Counterfeit goods pose a threat to US military personnel who rely on this shoddy equipment to carry out their duties, the Senate duo argued.
The Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing Tuesday that will reveal more details about China’s reluctancy to participate in the investigation.