The US suspects China is using giant cranes for espionage.
(Baonghean.vn) - According to former US counterintelligence official Bill Evania, this surveillance crane could provide remote access to disrupt the flow of goods.
The Wall Street Journal reported on March 5th that the Pentagon views the giant cranes manufactured in China and operating at U.S. ports, including some military-used shipping hubs, as a "type of malware" that China could use to gather intelligence on goods and materials being transported into and out of the United States.
According to former U.S. counterintelligence official Bill Evania, this surveillance crane could provide remote access to disrupt the flow of goods. Evania said, "The crane could be a new product of Huawei. It's the perfect combination of legitimate business activity disguised as covert intelligence gathering."
A representative from the Chinese Embassy in Washington told the WSJ that these concerns were "paranoid" attempts to hinder bilateral economic and trade cooperation. "Playing the 'China card' and applying the 'China threat' theory is irresponsible and will harm America's own interests," the official said.
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The crane was manufactured by ZPMC. Photo:Justin Sullivan/Getty Images |
These latest concerns arose shortly after last month's dispute between the U.S. and China over high-altitude balloons. The Biden administration shot down a balloon suspected of espionage off the coast of South Carolina after it drifted across the country. U.S. officials accused China of using such balloons around the world as a surveillance tool.
For its part, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denied operating any such program, while criticizing Washington for its abuse of force and overreacting to what Beijing called a civilian balloon that veered off course and inadvertently entered US airspace.