Five years ago, the Chinese government offered $100 million to build a Chinese National Arboretum in Washington. Complete with pagodas, pavilions and a 70-foot white pagoda, the project attracted serious interest from local officials, who hoped the unique park would attract thousands of tourists each year.
However, when American counterintelligence agents investigated the details, they found that the pagoda was strategically located in one of Washington’s highest points, only two miles from the Capitol, the perfect location for intelligence agencies – CNN Reports.
It was also a suspicious sign that the Chinese wanted to build the pagoda with materials imported from abroad, which US customs officials are prohibited from inspecting. Aware of all this, federal officials canceled the project before construction began.
According to US security officials, Chinese spying on US soil has increased dramatically over the past decade. Officials have been investigating Chinese land purchases near so-called “critical infrastructure” since 2017. This recently led to the closure of the main regional consulate that the US government decided to be.
It was a hotbed of Chinese intelligence.
Important steps have also been taken to prevent the installation of modern bugging devices near sensitive areas, such as military and government installations.
Among the most troubling things uncovered by the FBI are Chinese-made Huawei devices above cellphone repeaters near US military bases. According to several sources investigating the case, the FBI has concluded that some Chinese electronic items and equipment are capable of recording and disrupting highly restricted communications for the Department of Defense.
Including those used by the US Strategic Command, which oversees the country’s nuclear weapons.
Although widespread concerns about Huawei devices located near US military facilities have become known to an increasing number of politicians and government agencies, no official information about the investigation itself and its results has been released to the public. The origins of the entire issue go back to the Obama administration. The concerns of the US intelligence community have been confirmed to CNN by dozens of individuals or reliable sources, including current and former national security officials.
The investigation was so secret that the White House only learned about it in 2019
Allegation of two sources familiar with the case.
It remains unclear whether US intelligence officials knew that the Chinese actually obtained highly classified data from those towers and sent it to Beijing. According to sources familiar with the matter, it is technically and technically impossible to establish whether a particular data packet has been stolen.
China and Huawei deny everything
The Chinese government strongly denies that it is spying on the United States. In a statement to CNN, Huawei also denied that its devices were installed near the communication channels designated for the Ministry of Defense. However, multiple sources familiar with the investigation tell CNN that Huawei devices are able to listen to highly restricted radio waves used by the military, and thus could disrupt US Strategic Command communications at any time, giving the Chinese government a chance. To learn anything about the US nuclear arsenal.
This is a very sensitive topic
A former FBI official with knowledge of the investigation told CNN. “If it turns out that another country is creating disorder for the purpose of espionage, it will be a very bad day for all of us,” he added.
Some former US counterintelligence officials have expressed frustration that the US government has not provided more detailed information about the background of the case and suspected Chinese espionage activities. According to them, city and state leaders, corporations and large corporations have the right to see the problem more clearly. In the current situation, a business agreement with a Chinese partner can be very risky.
The US Congress has approved $1.9 billion in 2020 to remove Chinese-made mobile technology Huawei and ZTE from rural areas of the United States. However, two years later, none of the electronic items and devices involved have been required to be removed, and rural carriers are still waiting for federal reimbursement.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has received a request to remove about 24,000 Chinese-made communication devices.
(Cover Image: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
