Are giant Chinese CRANES the next spy balloon?
Are giant Chinese CRANES the next spy balloon? Beijing ignores ‘overly paranoid’ claim it uses cargo equipment in US ports as a ‘Trojan horse’ to secretly collect intelligence
- The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that top US officials fear Chinese-made cranes in US ports could act as ‘Trojan horses’ for Beijing
- China’s foreign ministry on Monday denounced the US for being “overly paranoid” when asked about possible Chinese spy taps
- Tensions between Washington and Beijing were already running high after President Joe Biden ordered the Pentagon to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon last month
China’s foreign ministry on Monday accused the US of being “overly paranoid” after Pentagon officials stated that Chinese-made ship cranes could be used as a “Trojan horse” for espionage.
This is reported by the Wall Street Journal Sunday that US officials are increasingly concerned that the massive cranes used in US ports, including by the military, pose a security risk.
Made by China-based manufacturer ZPMC, they contain cargo-tracking sensors that Beijing could use to find out the destination of military shipments in the country and around the world.
In addition, the cranes can be accessed remotely, meaning a nefarious actor could tamper with them and interrupt the flow of goods, Bill Evanina, a former top U.S. counterintelligence official, told the Journal.
“Crane taps could be the new Huawei,” said Evanina, referring to the Chinese telecom giant banned in the US.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that top US officials fear Chinese-made cranes in ports could act as ‘Trojan horses’ for Beijing
Cranes can be accessed remotely, meaning a nefarious actor can tamper with them and interrupt the flow of goods
The ZPMC faucets entered the U.S. market 20 years ago and were chosen by companies because they cost less than Western competitors, according to the Journal.
China’s foreign ministry dismissed such fears on Monday, saying the suggestion that there are Chinese spy cranes would only serve to “mislead the American public.” This is reported by CBS News.
A representative from the Chinese embassy in Washington told the Journal that US concerns were “paranoia-driven.”
“Playing the ‘China card’ and propagating the theory of the ‘China threat’ is irresponsible and harms the interests of the US itself,” the embassy official warned.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer indicated during a Monday morning appearance that he believed the threat was legitimate on Fox News Channel.
“We learn every day the size of the Chinese spy ring here in the United States,” he said when asked about the Journal’s Crane story.
Tensions between Washington and Beijing were already running high after President Joe Biden ordered the Pentagon to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon (pictured) over the coast of South Carolina last month.
“Now there is a bipartisan agreement within Congress that the United States must identify every facet of the Chinese spy ring in American, from TikTok now to what we read in the Wall Street Journal about these faucets,” he continued.
He feared that China could “monitor any arms shipment,” including those destined for Ukraine.
“What is the possibility that China has these sensors on the cranes that know what we are doing and alert Russia?” he mused.
The GOP-led House has already established a new committee — the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party — which met for the first time last week and will study the threat from China.
Last year, Republican Representative Carlos Giménez introduced legislation banning future purchases of Chinese-made faucets after learning the software could be used for nefarious purchases.
His bill would encourage other manufacturers to make the faucets.
Giménez is a former mayor of Miami Dade County whose port uses ZPMC-manufactured cranes.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she had no comment on the Journal story, though she said the Department of Defense and the Department of Transportation are studying the matter.
“This is something the president takes very seriously and will always take action to make sure we protect our national security,” she said more broadly, after being asked by Fox’s Peter Doocy, “How concerned should Americans be that China spying here? At home?’
Tensions between Washington and Beijing were already running high after President Joe Biden ordered the Pentagon to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon over the coast of South Carolina last month.
In addition, the US has warned China not to provide material support to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
Last month, Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said he believed China was considering providing “lethal support” to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war, but a Pentagon official said days later that there is still no sign that Beijing has agreed to this.