Are giant Chinese CRANES the next spy balloon? trends now
China's foreign ministry on Monday blasted the U.S. for being 'overly paranoid' after Pentagon officials expressed that Chinese-made shipping cranes could be used as a 'Trojan horse' for spying.
The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that U.S. officials are growing concerned that the massive cranes used at U.S. ports, including by the military, are a security threat.
They are made by Chinese-based manufacturer ZPMC and contain sensors that track cargo, which Beijing could use to learn the destination of military shipments around the country and the world.
Additionally, the cranes can be remotely accessed, meaning a nefarious actor could tamper with them and interrupt the flow of goods, Bill Evanina, a former top U.S. counterintelligence official, told the Journal.
'Cranes can be the new Huawei,' said Evanina, referencing the Chinese telecom giant banned in the U.S. The cranes could represent the 'perfect combination of legitimate business that can also masquerade as clandestine intelleigence collection,' he said.
The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that top U.S. security officials fear Chinese-made cranes at ports could act as 'Trojan horses' for Beijing
Cranes can be remotely accessed, meaning a nefarious actor could tamper with them and interrupt the flow of goods
The ZPMC cranes entered the U.S. market two decades ago and were chosen by businesses because of they cost less than Western-made competitors, the Journal said.
China's foreign ministry dismissed such fears Monday and said the suggestion that there would be Chinese spy cranes would only serve to 'mislead the U.S. public,' CBS News reported.
A Chinese embassy representative in Washington told the Journal that U.S. concerns were 'paranoia-driven.'
'Playing the "China card" and floating the "China threat" theory is irresponsible and will harm the interests of the U.S. itself,' the embassy official warned.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer indicated he believed the threat was
