After Spy Balloons, Cargo Cranes? Pentagon Reportedly Worried China Using New Surveillance Tools Hiding In Plain Sight

After a recent spy balloon incident, the U.S. is reportedly concerned that Chinese-made cranes operating at American ports could give Xi Jinping a possible spying tool hiding in plain sight.

What Happened: The U.S. national security and Defense Department officials have compared China-based Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company Limited's ship-to-shore cranes to a Trojan horse, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The report added that the cranes contain well-made, inexpensive and sophisticated sensors that can register and track the provenance and destination of containers.

This has led to growing concerns that Beijing could capture information about shipping defense supplies in or out of the country to support U.S. military operations.

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Bill Evanina, a former top U.S. counterintelligence official, said the cranes could also provide remote access for someone looking to disrupt the flow of goods.

"Cranes can be the new Huawei," he said, comparing the cranes to Chinese telecom giant Huawei, whose approvals of new telecommunications equipment have been banned by the U.S. administration. 

"It's the perfect combination of legitimate business that can also masquerade as clandestine intelligence collection."

The Chinese Embassy in Washington slammed the U.S. for its "paranoia-driven" attempt to obstruct trade and economic cooperation. "Playing the ‘China card' and floating the ‘China threat' theory is irresponsible and will harm the interests of the U.S. itself," a representative of the Chinese Embassy said, as per the Journal.

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