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US said China intensified spying
2000-03-09
WASHINGTON - China has intensified its spying operations in the United States over the past decade, collecting military and economic secrets and seeking to exert political influence over policy decisions in Washington, according to a report by two U.S. intelligence services. A joint report to Congress by the CIA and FBI said China viewed the United States, with its overwhelming military and technological superiority, as the prime target for an all-out espionage effort that includes using Chinese students, businessmen of Chinese-decent and even tourists as spies. The report was submitted in January to the House Select Intelligence Committee and an unclassified version was released Wednesday. ``Chinese attempts to obtain U.S. military and military-related technology, reflecting recognition of the overwhelming technological superiority enjoyed by the Western Alliance in the Gulf War and Kosovo, have increased since the early 1990s,'' the report said. China is also seeking to use ``political influence'' programs to manipulate U.S. policy and gain support for Chinese objectives, it added. Earlier this week, CIA Director George Tenet and FBI Director Louis Freeh briefed congressional committees on the scope of the spying problem, saying China had not confined itself to trying to steal military secrets. It was also engaged in gathering economic, technological and political information through a network of professional and nonprofessional spies, they said. ``The counterintelligence problems in the United States have not only continued at their pre-1989-1990 levels, but have actually increased in some respects,'' Freeh told one panel. Asked by Sen. Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, whether he would characterize the threat posed by Chinese espionage as ``very serious,'' Freeh responded: ``Yes sir. Absolutely.'' Most military spying is done by Chinese diplomats attached to its embassies and consulates and Chinese spies continue to gather intelligence from U.S. nuclear weapons laboratories, according to the report. It made made no specific mention of the case of nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee, who was identified last year as the prime suspect in an espionage case at Los Alamos National Laboratory and is currently awaiting trial on multiple charges of transferring sensitive information to unsecured computers. Although some professionals are involved in China's spy network, the FBI and CIA said the bulk of those gathering commercial, economic and technological information were amateurs, often providing unclassified data that was highly prized by China. ``Some of the thousands of Chinese students, scientists, researchers and other visitors to the United States also gather information, working mostly for the benefit of government-controlled, end-user organizations and other scientific bureaus, research institutes and other enterprises,'' the report said. The issue of Chinese spying in the United States is particularly sensitive right now as Washington is consumed by election-year politicking, and President Clinton's outgoing administration has repeatedly come under fire from Congress for its China policies and handling of relations with Beijing. The intelligence report was made public on the same day that Clinton asked Congress to approve permanent normal trade privileges with China -- a move that would open Chinese markets to America and allow Washington to bring China into the World Trade Organization. China's trade status is shaping up as probably the biggest battle likely to take place between Congress and the White House this year. Already the issue has produced an odd alliance of pro-big business Republicans that support Clinton on trade, but are increasingly upset by issues like Chinese spying, Beijing's bellicose threats against Taiwan and a deterioration in human rights inside China. On the Democratic side, many of Clinton's traditional allies are opposed to permanent trade relations with China, citing labor, environmental and human rights concerns. Reuters
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