Tariffs could jumpstart Beijing's global spying efforts, executive warns

• New tariff threats could intensify that pressure.

Driving the news: President Trump threatened on Monday to impose an additional 50% tariff on Chinese goods starting Friday. The warning followed Beijing's move to implement its own 34% retaliatory tariff.

• "All talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated until such time as the tariffs are removed," Trump said.

Threat level: The escalation gives Chinese operatives a stronger incentive to gather intelligence from U.S. politicians and global companies about how seriously to take the tariff threats, Levi Gundert, chief security and intelligence officer at Recorded Future, told Axios.

• "There will be a premium put on very timely information that helps them navigate this new era," he said.
• The volume of China-backed espionage targeting U.S. entities is already at record levels.
• Gundert said Beijing will likely also intensify efforts against governments and companies in other countries that are also negotiating new tariff deals with Trump.

Between the lines: Spying on sensitive political and economic discussions has long been a core objective of Chinese cyber operations. Gaining insights into tariff talks would fall squarely within Beijing's typical spying domains, Gundert said.

Flashback: Just last fall, U.S. officials found evidence that China had spied on the phones of American politicians — including Trump's.

What's next: Cybercriminals are also likely to exploit the confusion around tariffs with phishing campaigns and other scams, Gundert said.

Go deeper: Tariffs 101