FBI revelation: China would build a garden to spy on the US defense system

In 2017, the Chinese government offered to invest $100 million to build a Chinese garden in Washington, but US intelligence soon realized it was an attempt to spy on the US defense system.

Complete with temples and pavilions, the Chinese project attracted local officials, who hoped it would attract thousands of tourists each year. But when US counterintelligence officials began digging into the details, they became concerned. The project was planned to be strategically located on one of the highest points in Washington, a perfect location for espionage, reports CNN.

Also worrying is the fact that Chinese officials wanted to build a shrine with materials that were sent to the US in diplomatic packages and which US customs officials were prohibited from inspecting.

Federal officials quietly halted the project before construction began. The canceled garden project is part of a counterintelligence effort by the FBI and other federal agencies focused on what has been a dramatic escalation of Chinese espionage on American soil over the past decade.
Since 2017, federal officials have investigated land purchases of critical infrastructure, closed a high-profile regional consulate that the U.S. government believes is a hotbed for Chinese spies, and thwarted what they saw as attempts by clearly for China to place listening devices near sensitive US military and government facilities.

Among the most alarming things the FBI has discovered are Chinese Huawei devices on top of towers near US military bases.

The FBI concluded that the devices were capable of intercepting and disrupting Defense Department communications, including those used by the US Strategic Command, which oversees the nation’s nuclear weapons.

Although the concern about Huawei equipment near US military installations is well known. The existence of this investigation and its findings have never been made public. Their origins date back at least to the administration of Barack Obama. This was confirmed to CNN by multiple sources, including current and former national security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

It is unclear whether the intelligence community has learned that any data was intercepted and sent to Beijing from those towers.

Experts say it is extremely difficult from a technical point of view to prove that a packet of data has been stolen and sent abroad. The Chinese government adamantly denies any espionage activity in the US.

In a statement to CNN, Huawei also denied that its equipment is capable of operating on any communications spectrum assigned to the US Department of Defense.