Firms Should Engage With US on China Concerns, Ex-NSA Boss Says

Diana Li, Bloomberg News

Michael Rogers, director of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), speaks during an interview in New York, U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015. The hacking attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment is prompting U.S. officials to rethink when the government should help private companies defend against and deter digital assaults, Rogers said. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Michael Rogers , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Former US National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers said the American business community should flag concerns about rising geopolitical tension with China and how it’s affecting their sectors to the US government.

“The importance of conversation and dialogue between government and the private sector is going to be more important,” Rogers, a four-star admiral, said at the Bloomberg Invest conference on Thursday, offering advice to portfolio managers. “Engage with government, help the US government understand what your concerns are, don’t assume that Washington has in-depth expertise on your particular market sector.”

The remark comes amid growing geopolitical tensions between China and the US, especially around business and technology. Chinese authorities announced in late May that US chipmaker Micron Technology Inc. failed a cybersecurity review and warned operators of critical infrastructure in the country against buying Micron’s products. The Commerce Department also expanded its blacklist to highlight more than 600 Chinese entities, including large companies such as computer server maker Inspur Group and chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp.

Rogers is currently a senior adviser at Brunswick Group, a critical issues advisory firm that has offices across the world including in Beijing, and an operating partner at Team8, an Israeli cyber company

Rogers said economic tension between China and the US is at the forefront of concerns and that businesses need to understand the military, political and economic dynamics of Chinese society.

“The relationship is not in a good place and it’s not what we want it to be,” Rogers said.

--With assistance from Katrina Manson.