The Five Eyes nations say they are united against China’s rampant IP theft. 

In response to an alarming surge in intellectual property (IP) theft by China, leaders from the Five Eyes intelligence network have taken a historic step to combat the issue. 

The Five Eyes network, comprising the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand, publicly convened this week for the first time in their 77-year history. 

The meeting took place in the tech epicentre of Palo Alto, Silicon Valley.

Mike Burgess, the director general of ASIO, singled out China as the primary offender in wholesale intellectual property theft. He stressed that China's actions transcend traditional espionage.

FBI director Christopher Wray unveiled a startling fact: his agency initiates investigations into China's efforts to steal intellectual property every 12 hours. 

He said that China's government and intelligence services actively sanction this theft to the detriment of other nations.

The extent of the threat prompted the Five Eyes nations to appear together in public, highlighting the unprecedented nature of the challenge.

The Chinese state and its associated entities have been implicated in numerous large-scale hacking incidents affecting global giants such as Microsoft and Marriott, along with government departments worldwide. 

These infiltrations have not only led to data breaches but also caused severe financial harm to companies, affecting their stock prices and forcing layoffs.

Leaders cited examples of Chinese spies stealing intellectual property, leading to a significant decline in a company's market capitalisation and job losses. 

They said that the impact extends beyond Wall Street to affect ordinary people's livelihoods.

Mr Burgess disclosed an instance where a Chinese government worker implanted a USB device into a company computer, enabling the theft of intellectual property from a successful motion detector company, which was then used by a Chinese state-owned entity to undercut an Australian firm.

The Five Eyes leaders say they now aim to foster global collaboration with businesses to share information for identifying threats and cases. 

They have reportedly engaged with representatives from government, business, and academia to develop a coordinated response to China's actions. 

However, some major investors in China, like Tesla and Apple, may be hesitant to participate due to concerns about upsetting Beijing. 

In a rare joint statement, the intelligence chiefs also pointed out that China has been stealing secrets across various sectors, including quantum technology, robotics, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence.