China is a signatory to WTO treaties regarding intellectual property and business rules/standards - China is bound by those terms or it is abrogating the treaties and giving up all benefits and protections they provide. These Chinese firms have been indicted on criminal charges with regard to those WTO obligations. UMC, Fujian Jinhua indicted for alleged Micron tech theft. That doesn’t mean they’ve been convicted but that there’s more than enough evidence to bring these companies to trail for criminal violations covered by US laws enacted in compliance and enforcement of WTO treaties. Treaty compliance is not protectionism. Signing up to a treaty and then expecting exceptional treatment IS protectionism - in this case by China for China. And yes, it’s the same if the US were to do it! Treaty compliance is not national security directly either. Treaty compliance is key to national security because having all countries within the treaty agreement and playing by the same rules is in the interest of all treaty members’ national security.