evidence: Sen. Josh Hawley pressed the witnesses on a related problem he believes receives too little attention: the practice of U.S. companies storing large amounts of consumer and corporate data in China. Wray noted that the bureau is deeply concerned about this practice because Chinese laws require that the communist government have sweeping access to data stored in the country. Senators turned their focus next to the issue of Chinese counterintelligence operations and theft of American intellectual property. Pointing to Canada’s arrest of Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, Sen. Ron Johnson asked whether the U.S. government should direct law enforcement to deny entry into the U.S. for management-level officials in Chinese companies. While acknowledging the important role law enforcement plays in countering China and holding it accountable for intellectual property theft, Wray stressed that a more effective counterintelligence strategy would integrate trade, diplomacy and engagement from the private sector and academic institutions. To minimize the success of Chinese counterintelligence, the FBI director contended that companies should fire individuals who violate the terms of their contract by stealing U.S. secrets or intellectual property, and that universities should terminate researchers who do the same. The FBI, Wray continued, is "more forward-leaning" now than it has previously been in providing universities and private sector entities with detailed information about the Chinese threat. The hope is that companies and universities will voluntarily begin to protect themselves from Chinese assets and exploitation.