Concerns over China’s economic espionage and technology transfer have been mounting for years now, but 2018 proved to be a significant turning point in Washington. A slew of reports, hearings, and even new legislation emerged over the course of the year that, taken together, produced a cacophony of alarm bells. U.S. political rhetoric on China was escalating as was scrutiny on Chinese investments in Silicon Valley startups and Chinese talent programs that sought to recruit American scientists. Many of the reports or hearings listed below mentioned Danhua Capital, the venture capital firm founded by Zhang Shoucheng, the subject of this week’s cover story. Zhang, a Stanford physicist, was also a participant in China’s Thousand Talents program, which also came under fire. Danhua and Zhang were never accused of wrongdoing. But when Zhang died of an apparent suicide in December 2018, friends and colleagues wondered whether U.S. government scrutiny darkened the life of a man who fa