Red Dawn Redux? Why US intelligence agencies are worried about Chinese spies trespassing military sites

China has emerged as America's major competitor in various sectors, in last few years. The Asian giant's meteoric rise and economic development is proving to be a big challenge to USA's hegemony across the globe. Amid the current scenario, multiple cases of trespassing at US military sites in recent years by Chinese nationals, has sparked spying fears among the intelligence agencies including the Defense Department and FBI and other agencies.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, about 100 incidents involving Chinese nationals trying to access American military and other installations is being investigated by the US intelligence agencies.

US officials informed that spying fears are being looked into as the cases involved people crossing into a United States missile range in New Mexico. In another incident, scuba divers were found swimming near a rocket launch site and Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The report said that when caught, many trespassers claimed to be confused tourists who said they had a reservation at an on-base commercial hotel.

US Representative Jason Crow weighed in on the situation and said that Congress might consider bringing legislation to improve security measures at the sensitive military sites. Notably, the trespassing laws are currently state and local, not 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,” said Crow.

“The advantage the Chinese have is they are willing to throw people at [intelligence] collection in large numbers,” said Emily Harding, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington and a former deputy staff director at the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as quoted 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,” added Harding.

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Chinese nationals have also attempted to trespass and access unauthorised areas in the White House and former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

The report said that in many of the cases, officials briefly detained and later deported the Chinese nationals who were found trespassing on military bases.

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