Chinese Surveillance Activities in Cuba Raise Alarm: US Intelligence Committee Seeks Answers

Chinese Surveillance Activities in Cuba Raise Alarm: US Intelligence Committee Seeks Answers

Edited by: Fern Sidman

The recent admission by the White House that China has been operating a “listening post” in Cuba since 2019 has sparked concern among senior Biden administration officials, as was reported by the New York Post. The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party is now seeking clarification on whether Beijing is using US technology to spy on Americans. The Post report indicated that this revelation has heightened suspicions regarding the connections between China’s surveillance activities, commercial ventures, and potential misuse of American products for espionage purposes.

On June 11, the White House acknowledged that China and Cuba have maintained a surveillance facility to gather intelligence covertly, as was reported by the Post. The facility intercepts electronic signals from US communications systems, radars, and weapons systems. According to Rep. Mike Gallagher, the committee’s chairman, China’s signals intelligence collection relies, in part, on accessing or exploiting US intellectual property, the Post report said. He also raised concerns about China’s undermining of US interests, their violation of export control restrictions, and of their efforts to bolster surveillance capabilities for authoritarian states.

“China’s signals intelligence collection and the PRC companies that support it have relied in part on accessing or exploiting US intellectual property” Gallagher said in a June letter to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, according to the Post report.

Gallagher added that Beijing has done so “even as they have undermined US interests, violated US export control restrictions, and boosted the surveillance and censorship capabilities of authoritarian states.” With that information in mind, the committee wants to know how aware the intelligence community is of the connections between China’s surveillance and commercial activities – and whether the information “has been used to inform ongoing export licensing decisions,” according to the letter.

The committee seeks information from the intelligence community regarding the connections between China’s surveillance activities and commercial endeavors. Specifically, the Post reported stated that they want to know if this information has influenced export licensing decisions and whether the Commerce Department has been briefed on companies supporting China’s espionage efforts. The concern is that Chinese companies, even inadvertently, may have utilized American products in their technologies to support Beijing’s spying operations, according to the Post report.

The committee is suspicious of China’s efforts to integrate private commercial companies, such as Huawei, into the country’s military-industrial complex to modernize its armed forces, as was reported by the Post. The close relationship between the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and information and communications technology companies, including Huawei and ZTE, raises concerns about the potential for spying on the United States.

Huawei, a Chinese tech giant, has faced numerous controversies globally. The Post report indicated that the US Federal Trade Commission banned the use of Huawei products in the country in 2022, citing potential surveillance risks. Former President Donald Trump further restricted Huawei’s operations, prohibiting the sale of US semiconductors to the company without special licenses, the Post report said. The suspicion of Huawei’s involvement in spying for Beijing has led to its moniker “Spywei.”

The committee also expresses concern about Chinese tech companies, including Huawei and ZTE, having a “regular business presence” in Cuba, as was reported by the Post. This presence could facilitate travel for Chinese signals intelligence (SIGINT) operators without arousing suspicion.

As the situation unfolds, close scrutiny of Chinese tech companies’ activities and their presence abroad will be crucial to safeguarding national security and data privacy.

In a July 29^th report on the Daily Caller web site, investigative reporter on defense issues, Micaela Burrow wrote that the Biden administration is intensifying efforts to locate and eliminate malware believed to originate from Chinese attackers within critical infrastructure systems supporting U.S. military bases worldwide. The malware, discovered by Microsoft, has affected strategic sites like Guam and appears to be part of a larger Chinese operation involving the planting of malicious code over the past year, as was reported by the Daily Caller. The concerning cyber campaign targets networks controlling power grids, water supply, and communication systems crucial to U.S. military operations but also interconnected with civilian systems. The government is grappling with understanding China’s intentions behind the attacks and whether they are poised to target U.S. military operations or disrupt civilian life more broadly, the Daily Caller report said.

The hunt for the malware, suspected to be linked to China, has been ongoing for at least a year. Experts and officials are concerned about the malware’s potential to become a “ticking time bomb,” which Beijing could activate in case of conflict with the U.S. or an invasion of Taiwan, the Daily Caller report indicated. Such an activation could severely disrupt U.S. military operations and response capabilities, posing a grave threat to national security.

The malware attacks have raised eyebrows due to their sophistication and extensive reach. The affected networks that could impact U.S. military operations are connected to vital civilian infrastructure, including power grids and water supply systems. The Daily Caller also reported that experts and officials suggest that China’s motives could involve hindering military response in the Pacific region, giving them a strategic advantage in pursuing military objectives.

In response to the concerning cyber campaign, the Biden administration has taken swift action the report said. Situation Room meetings have been convened, bringing together military, intelligence, and homeland security officials to devise a comprehensive plan to counter the threat. The administration is also briefing Congress members and industry leaders on the issue to enhance awareness and collaboration in tackling the malware campaign, as was reported by The Daily Caller.

The Chinese embassy in Washington disputed the allegations, asserting that China firmly opposes and cracks down on all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with the law. However, the Daily Caller report stated that U.S. officials and industry experts continue to raise concerns about China’s expanding cyber capabilities and potential threats to critical infrastructure.