BEIJING: Accused China surveillance hot air balloon about the United States last week sparked a diplomatic row and renewed concerns about how Beijing gathers intelligence on its biggest strategic rival.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said in 2020 that Chinese spy poses “the greatest long-term threat to our nation’s information and intellectual property, as well as to our economic vitality”.
China’s foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP that it “resolutely opposes” espionage activity and that the US allegations are “based on disinformation and sinister political purposes”.
America also has its own way Chinese spydeploy surveillance and interception techniques as well as informant networks.
former president of the United States of America Barack Obama said in 2015 that his Chinese partner Xi Jinping promised not to conduct trade cyber espionage.
Subsequent statements from Washington suggest the activity continues.
Here are a few ways Beijing has spied on the United States in recent years:
The US has warned in a major annual intelligence assessment in 2022 that the Asian giant represents “the largest, most active and persistent territory”. cyber espionage threat” for government and private sector.
According to Western researchers and intelligence officials, China has become adept at hacking rival nations’ computer systems to steal industrial and commercial secrets.
In 2021, the United States, Nato and other allies said China used “contractual hackers” to exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft’s email system, allowing state security agents to access into email, company data and other sensitive information.
According to US government statements and media reports, Chinese cyber spies have also hacked into the US energy department, utility companies, telecommunications companies and universities.
Concerns about the threat from Beijing have spilled over into the tech sector, with concerns that state-linked companies will be obligated to share intelligence with the government. Chinese government.
In 2019, the US Justice Department charged tech giant Huawei with conspiring to steal US trade secrets, evade sanctions against Iran, and other crimes.
Washington has banned the company from supplying US government systems and strongly discouraged the use of its equipment in the private sector over concerns that it could be compromised.
Huawei denies the allegations.
Similar anxiety over TikTok fuels political debate in the West, with some lawmakers calling for a complete ban on the hugely popular app developed by China’s ByteDance over security concerns. data.
According to experts, US lawmakers and media reports, Beijing has relied on Chinese nationals abroad to help gather intelligence and steal sensitive technology.
One of the most famous cases is that of Ji Chaoqun, who in January was sentenced to eight years in prison in the US for passing information about potential recruitment targets to Chinese intelligence.
As an engineer who came to the United States on a student visa in 2013 and later joined the military reserve, Ji is accused of providing information about eight people to the Jiangsu province state security ministry, a petitioner said. intelligence agent accused of participating in the theft of US data. trade secret.
Last year, a US court sentenced a Chinese intelligence officer to 20 years in prison for stealing technology from US and French aerospace companies.
The man, named Xu Yanjun, was found guilty of playing a leading role in a five-year, state-backed Chinese scheme to steal trade secrets from GE Aviation, one of the engine engine manufacturers. leading airliner and the French Safran Group.
In 2020, a US court jailed Raytheon engineer Wei Sun — a US citizen and naturalized US citizen — for bringing sensitive information about an American missile system into China. on company laptops.
With the goal of advancing Beijing’s interests, Chinese agents are accused of courting America’s political, social, and business elites.
US news website Axios launched an investigation in 2020 when it claimed that a Chinese student attending a university in California had developed relationships with a series of US politicians under patronage of Beijing’s main civilian spy agency.
According to the report, student Fang Fang used campaign funding, developed friendships and even initiated sex to target rising politicians between 2011 and 2015.
Another technique used by Chinese agents, the researchers say, is to advertise inside knowledge about the Communist Party’s dubious internal workings and hover over access to leaders. leading leadership to attract high-profile Western targets.
The aim is to “distract world leaders from (Beijing’s) ambitions” and make them believe that “China will rise peacefully – maybe even democratically”, the author says. Chinese-Australian Alex Joske wrote in his book “Spies and Lies: How China’s Greatest”. The covert operation fooled the world.”
Beijing has also put pressure on overseas Chinese communities and media organizations to support their policies towards Taiwan, while quashing criticism of the persecution in Hong Kong. Kong and Xinjiang.
In September 2022, the Spain-based NGO Safeguard Defenders said China had set up 54 overseas police stations around the world, allegedly aimed at critics of the Communist Party. produce.
Beijing has denied the claims.
The Netherlands ordered China to close two “police stations” there in November.
A month later, the Czech Republic said China had closed two such centers in Prague.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said in 2020 that Chinese spy poses “the greatest long-term threat to our nation’s information and intellectual property, as well as to our economic vitality”.
China’s foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP that it “resolutely opposes” espionage activity and that the US allegations are “based on disinformation and sinister political purposes”.
America also has its own way Chinese spydeploy surveillance and interception techniques as well as informant networks.
former president of the United States of America Barack Obama said in 2015 that his Chinese partner Xi Jinping promised not to conduct trade cyber espionage.
Subsequent statements from Washington suggest the activity continues.
Here are a few ways Beijing has spied on the United States in recent years:
The US has warned in a major annual intelligence assessment in 2022 that the Asian giant represents “the largest, most active and persistent territory”. cyber espionage threat” for government and private sector.
According to Western researchers and intelligence officials, China has become adept at hacking rival nations’ computer systems to steal industrial and commercial secrets.
In 2021, the United States, Nato and other allies said China used “contractual hackers” to exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft’s email system, allowing state security agents to access into email, company data and other sensitive information.
According to US government statements and media reports, Chinese cyber spies have also hacked into the US energy department, utility companies, telecommunications companies and universities.
Concerns about the threat from Beijing have spilled over into the tech sector, with concerns that state-linked companies will be obligated to share intelligence with the government. Chinese government.
In 2019, the US Justice Department charged tech giant Huawei with conspiring to steal US trade secrets, evade sanctions against Iran, and other crimes.
Washington has banned the company from supplying US government systems and strongly discouraged the use of its equipment in the private sector over concerns that it could be compromised.
Huawei denies the allegations.
Similar anxiety over TikTok fuels political debate in the West, with some lawmakers calling for a complete ban on the hugely popular app developed by China’s ByteDance over security concerns. data.
According to experts, US lawmakers and media reports, Beijing has relied on Chinese nationals abroad to help gather intelligence and steal sensitive technology.
One of the most famous cases is that of Ji Chaoqun, who in January was sentenced to eight years in prison in the US for passing information about potential recruitment targets to Chinese intelligence.
As an engineer who came to the United States on a student visa in 2013 and later joined the military reserve, Ji is accused of providing information about eight people to the Jiangsu province state security ministry, a petitioner said. intelligence agent accused of participating in the theft of US data. trade secret.
Last year, a US court sentenced a Chinese intelligence officer to 20 years in prison for stealing technology from US and French aerospace companies.
The man, named Xu Yanjun, was found guilty of playing a leading role in a five-year, state-backed Chinese scheme to steal trade secrets from GE Aviation, one of the engine engine manufacturers. leading airliner and the French Safran Group.
In 2020, a US court jailed Raytheon engineer Wei Sun — a US citizen and naturalized US citizen — for bringing sensitive information about an American missile system into China. on company laptops.
With the goal of advancing Beijing’s interests, Chinese agents are accused of courting America’s political, social, and business elites.
US news website Axios launched an investigation in 2020 when it claimed that a Chinese student attending a university in California had developed relationships with a series of US politicians under patronage of Beijing’s main civilian spy agency.
According to the report, student Fang Fang used campaign funding, developed friendships and even initiated sex to target rising politicians between 2011 and 2015.
Another technique used by Chinese agents, the researchers say, is to advertise inside knowledge about the Communist Party’s dubious internal workings and hover over access to leaders. leading leadership to attract high-profile Western targets.
The aim is to “distract world leaders from (Beijing’s) ambitions” and make them believe that “China will rise peacefully – maybe even democratically”, the author says. Chinese-Australian Alex Joske wrote in his book “Spies and Lies: How China’s Greatest”. The covert operation fooled the world.”
Beijing has also put pressure on overseas Chinese communities and media organizations to support their policies towards Taiwan, while quashing criticism of the persecution in Hong Kong. Kong and Xinjiang.
In September 2022, the Spain-based NGO Safeguard Defenders said China had set up 54 overseas police stations around the world, allegedly aimed at critics of the Communist Party. produce.
Beijing has denied the claims.
The Netherlands ordered China to close two “police stations” there in November.
A month later, the Czech Republic said China had closed two such centers in Prague.
