In recent years, China has become a key rival to the United States in a number of industries. The USA’s global hegemony is facing a significant challenge from the Asian giant’s stratospheric growth and economic expansion. Multiple incidents of Chinese nationals breaking into US military installations in recent years have raised concerns about eavesdropping among the intelligence community, including the Defence Department, FBI, and other agencies.
The US intelligence services are looking into roughly 100 occasions in which Chinese people attempted to enter American military and other locations, according to a Wall Street Journal story.
The incidents included individuals entering a US missile range in New Mexico, according to US officials, who also stated that suspicions of espionage are being investigated. Another instance was the discovery of scuba divers swimming close to the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and a rocket launch pad.
According to US Representative Jason Crow, Congress may consider introducing legislation to strengthen security at the sensitive military locations. Notably, the present trespassing rules are municipal and state-level rather than federal.
“We need to work closely with our state and local partners to train them and equip them. Right now, they don’t know how to deal with it,” averred Crow.
“The advantage the Chinese have is they are willing to throw people at [intelligence] collection in large numbers,” mentioned Emily Harding, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington and erstwhile deputy staff director at the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, as stated by the New York Post.
“If a few of them get caught, it will be very difficult for the US government to prove anything beyond trespassing, and those who don’t get caught are likely to collect something unusual,” further added Harding.
Chinese nationals have additionally tried to enter restricted parts of the White House and the Mar-a-Lago residence of former President Donald Trump.
