A fire is being lit in the US as Chinese competition comes increasingly to the forefront of the attention of its political leaders.

One battleground coming into view concerns how much the American government is getting by way of jobs and economic development from its federally-funded research and development (R&D) dollars.

As one Beltway veteran insider said: “I would like to highlight what China is doing with my congressional contacts to see if it can light a fire under them…