According to the FBI, Chinese products by Huawei could disrupt US nuclear arsenal airwaves. The issue originates from a 2017 deal in which the Chinese government offered to spend $100 million to construct a Chinese garden at the National Arboretum in Washington DC. The garden would hopefully attract thousands of tourists every year. However, when US counterintelligence officials analyzed the details, several issues were realized. One of these issues is that the pagoda would have been strategically placed at one of the highest points in DC, just two miles from the capital. This spot would have been ideal for intelligence collection. In addition, Chinese officials wanted to build the pagoda with materials shipped to the US in diplomatic pouches. US Customs officials are banned from examining such pouches, meaning that the materials would enter the US without inspection.
Although federal officials were able to quietly kill the project before construction began, the issue points towards an increase in espionage activity identified by the FBI and federal agencies occurring on US soil over the past decade. Most recently, US officials have noted that Huawei devices located across the capital could have disastrous effects. In addition, federal officials have shut down Chinese land purchases near critical infrastructure and a high-profile regional consulate that is believed to have been a Chinese spy cover. In the rural Midwest, US officials are now highly concerned due to Huawei equipment on top of cell towers near US military bases. The FBI has determined that the equipment is capable of capturing and disrupting Defense Department communications.
