China is slowly but surely infiltrating America
12th July 2024
As it becomes clearer that China and the US have entered a new Cold War, Beijing’s spy operations have grown more flagrant and provocative. Whether it be flying spy balloons, buying farmland near US military bases or even establishing a secret police station in New York City, China is slowly but surely infiltrating the US.
In February 2023, a US fighter jet shot down a Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic. The balloon crossed into US airspace over Alaska in late January before passing through Canada and into Montana. While the balloon was able to transmit information back to Beijing in real time, CNN reports the government doesn’t know exactly what intelligence was gathered. Naturally, China claimed it was just a weather balloon that accidentally sailed into US airspace, however, US officials believe it was spying on military bases.
This episode came just two months before another bold act of Chinese espionage. In April 2023, the FBI arrested two men accused of running a covert Chinese police station in New York City. The secret station, set up in an office building in Chinatown, performed basic services, such as helping Chinese citizens renew their Chinese drivers’ licenses, but it also served to to track and threaten Chinese dissidents living in the US. For example, the station located a pro-democracy advocate living in California.