There has been "a dramatic escalation of Chinese espionage on American soil over the past decade," sources in the US counterintelligence community told CNN this weekend.
They also revealed some pretty interesting examples. have been revealed. For example, in 2017 the government of China offered to build a 100 million dollar pavilion in Washington DC an elaborate 22 meter pagoda. US counterintelligence officials realized that its location – two miles from the US Capitol – seemed "strategically placed on one of the highest points in Washington... a perfect spot for gathering signals intelligence".
Also of concern was that Chinese officials wanted to build the pagoda with materials that would be sent to the US in diplomatic bags, which US customs officials are prohibited from inspecting. Of course the Feds banned the project before construction began...
Since at least 2017, federal officials have been investigating Chinese purchases of land near critical infrastructure, and closed a high-profile regional consulate believed by the U.S. government to be a hotbed of Chinese spies with apparent efforts to plant listening devices near sensitive military and government facilities.
Among the most troubling things the FBI revealed about him latest technology equipment of Huawei on cell towers near US military bases in the rural Midwest.
According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the FBI determined that the equipment was capable of intercepting and intercepting the Department's highly restricted communications Defense, including those used by the US Strategic Command, which oversees the country's nuclear weapons.
It is unclear whether the intelligence community has determined whether data was actually intercepted and sent to Beijing from those towers. Sources familiar with the matter say that technically, it is incredibly difficult to prove that a packet of data was stolen and sent overseas.
The Chinese government strongly denies any attempt to spy on the US, but sources familiar with the matter told CNN there is no doubt that Huawei's equipment has the potential to disrupt not only commercial movement mobile telephony but also the extremely limited radio waves used by the military. They can also disrupt critical US Strategic Command communications, giving the Chinese government a potential backdoor into America's nuclear arsenal.
As Huawei equipment began to proliferate near US military bases, federal investigators began to take notice, according to CNN.
Of particular concern was that Huawei was selling very cheap equipment to provincial providers that in many cases appeared to be unprofitable for the company. But this is how they placed their equipment near military installations.
