Chinese gate crashers at US bases raise espionage concerns -WSJ
(Reuters) – Chinese nationals have entered US military bases and sensitive sites up to 100 times in recent years, sometimes disguised as tourists, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing US officials who described the incidents as a potential espionage threat .
The Department of Defense, FBI and other agencies conducted an investigation last year to try to limit these incidents involving gatecrashers who attempted to enter US military bases without proper authorization, the WSJ report said.
According to the report, causes of death ranged from Chinese nationals found crossing a US missile base in New Mexico to divers swimming in murky waters near a US government missile launch site in Florida.
The incidents, in rural areas where there is little tourism, usually involved Chinese nationals who were forced into service and required to report to the Chinese government, the report said, citing with the officials familiar with practice.
The US Department of Defense and Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the WSJ report.
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The reported incidents come at a time when Washington and Beijing are taking cautious steps to ease tensions, which rose after a suspected Chinese spy balloon crossed the United States at high altitude before the US military launched it in February shot down the east coast.
(Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Jamie Freed)
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