Pirates, technology and informers: how does China spy on the US?

The overflight of USA by a Chinese balloon last week, an artifact of espionage According to Washington, it raises questions about what methods the Asian giant uses to gather intelligence from other countries.

Beijing’s espionage constitutes “the greatest long-term threat to our nation’s data and intellectual property, as well as our economic vitality”the director of the fbi, Christopher Wray.

“The allegations of so-called ‘Chinese espionage’ are not based on factual evidence, but on misinformation and hidden political objectives”told AFP on chinese ministry of foreign affairs.

Here are the main US grievances against beijing in terms of espionage.

READ ALSO: US-China trade in goods hits record despite differences

hackers

According to researchers and intelligence officials from Western countries, China she has become an expert at hacking into rival countries’ computer systems to obtain trade and industrial secrets.

United States, its allies and the NATO accused the Chinese government of a massive attack on the computer giant in 2021 Microsoftto access emails and confidential information of individuals and companies.

There are also suspicions of Chinese computer attacks in the United States against the Department of Energy, public services, telecommunications companies and universities, according to Washington and newspaper articles.

READ ALSO: The spy balloon, a complement to satellites and an element of tension between China and the United States.

New technologies

Warnings multiply in the United States against the application TikTok and the alleged danger to national security posed by its link to China.

Some lawmakers fear that TikTok’s parent, the Chinese group bytedancecan access the personal data of US users and transmit it to the Chinese authorities.

The United States also blacklisted the group Huaweiknown for its mobile phones but which also supplies state-of-the-art equipment for telecommunications networks and 5G.

Although without providing evidence, Washington fears that these products are used as a rear window to monitor communications and data traffic, something that the company strongly denies.

READ ALSO: The Amazon is deteriorating too fast

informers

Beijing relies abroad, on Chinese citizens, to spy on and steal sensitive technologies, Washington says.

One of the most publicized cases was that of the Chinese engineer Ji Chaoqunarrived in the United States in 2013 with a student visa and sentenced last month to eight years in jail.

The court accused him of supplying Chinese intelligence services with information about American scientists who could potentially serve as intelligence sources.

In 2020, wei suna Chinese naturalized American engineer who worked in the group’s defense department raytheonwas sentenced to jail for taking a company computer to China with sensitive information about a US missile system.

READ ALSO: Chicago seeks to attract foreigners laid off by tech companies

Politicians

To obtain first-hand information and promote its interests, Beijing also courts top-level political and economic personalities.

In 2020, the American information web Axios He claimed that a Chinese student had established links with a number of Chinese political figures on behalf of Beijing’s intelligence services.

This student, fangfanghe would have earned their trust by participating in fundraising events for electoral campaigns and cultivating their friendship, including through sexual relations, Axios said.

READ ALSO: The US sanctions Paraguay’s vice president and former president Cartes again

clandestine police stations

In addition to intelligence tools, China has hidden “police stations” in the United States and other countries, says the human rights organization, Safeguard Defenders.

These undeclared structures can monitor dissidents or put pressure on them, according to this Madrid-based organization.

Beijing denies these accusations. In November, Netherlands ordered China to close two “police stations” on its territory. A month later, the Asian giant also closed two of these structures in Pragueaccording to the Czech authorities.

SOURCE: AFP AGENCY.