US senators call on China to crack down on fake IDs

US senators have asked the Chinese Embassy to stamp out high-quality fake IDs that they claim pose a threat to national security.

Action by the four senators - two Democrats and two Republicans - comes in the wake of a USA Today report into the availability of counterfeit identification documents. The high-quality of the fakes make them a threat, the senators claim.

"This appeal to the Chinese government is necessary given the national security threat raised by counterfeit operations of this scale and the threat to individual security by the related identity theft reported by USA Today," Republican senator Chuck Grassley told the newspaper.

Concerns were communicated by the senators in a letter to the Chinese Embassy, which claimed terrorists could use the fake documents to sidestep security infrastructure in the US.

Andrew Meehan, a policy analyst for the Coalition for a Secure Driver's License, welcomed the move but also noted the need for action at home.

"Something must be done about...demand and that may mean increased penalties," he said.