Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned the U.S. must "stay ahead of the curve" in innovation to offset widespread intellectual property theft by China. Speaking on "Hannity," he described IP theft and reverse engineering as major drivers of Chinese technological gains and said the issue will be central to upcoming talks with Chinese officials. Rubio argued enforcement alone is insufficient and urged continued investment so U.S. companies lead future technologies. His comments came ahead of a summit in China involving President Trump and U.S. business leaders.
Rubio: U.S. Must ‘Stay Ahead Of The Curve’ As China Uses Stolen Tech To Close The Gap
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on May 12, 2026, as he departs for a 3-day state visit to China.(Getty Images)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Wednesday that the United States must "stay ahead of the curve" in innovation to counter what he described as widespread intellectual property theft by China. Rubio said Beijing has leveraged stolen American technology and reverse engineering to accelerate its commercial, industrial and technological progress.
In an interview on Fox News' "Hannity," Rubio called intellectual property theft an "enormous issue" that the Trump administration planned to address during high-stakes talks with Chinese officials.
"A lot of the advancements you've seen in the commercial sector and the industrial sector, the technological sector in China, is a product of intellectual property theft and/or reverse engineering, which is the same thing, of our own technology," Rubio said. "That has to be addressed."
Rubio emphasized that enforcement alone would not be enough. He argued that preserving America's long-term advantage requires sustained investment so U.S. companies continue to innovate and stay ahead of the pace at which actors appropriate previously cutting-edge technologies.
China's President Xi Jinping, right, and U.S. President Donald Trump visit the Temple of Heaven on May 14, 2026, in Beijing, China.
"One thing is, if you're stealing or taking the stuff that was cutting edge five years ago, but the things that are going to be cutting edge years from now, we've got to continue to invest and push our companies to continue to stay ahead of that pace of theft and continue to lead the world in innovation," he said.
Context Ahead Of Summit
Rubio's remarks came ahead of a summit in China that President Donald Trump, senior administration officials and U.S. business leaders were scheduled to attend to discuss trade, artificial intelligence and other strategic issues. He warned that Beijing has a deliberate plan to surpass the United States and is executing that plan, adding that the U.S. should not accept a rise that comes at America's expense.
Rubio framed the challenge as both a law-enforcement issue and an economic-innovation imperative: stronger protections and prosecutions are necessary, but so too is doubling down on research, development and private-sector leadership to define tomorrow's cutting-edge technologies.
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