This is just so stupid! The Chinese don’t need to spy on us to know that we barely produce anything, but maybe some genius will decide to ban the cranes and shut down our ports. https://t.co/g2e27GYwEu
— Diane Sare for U.S. Senate (@DianeSare) March 5, 2023
An actual attempt to remove all of the Chinese made equipment from America would totally collapse the country.
If I were the Chinese, I would start saying “we put spy devices in everything, actually, including all of your computers and your vehicles. We’re watching very, very closely.”
RT:
The Pentagon sees giant Chinese-made cranes operating at US ports, including several shipping hubs used by the military, as a potential “Trojan horse” that China could use to gather intelligence on materiel being moved in and out of the country, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.
Fresh from the Chinese “spy balloon” debacle, unnamed “national-security and Pentagon officials” have reportedly turned their attention to yet another alleged espionage tool. While the newspaper did not indicate whether there have been any actual cases of a crane being used for spying, it cited former US counterintelligence official Bill Evanina expressing concerns that it could provide remote access to disrupt the flow of goods.
“Cranes can be the new Huawei,” Evanina said, referring to Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies, whose products had been banned from the US market over similar spying concerns. “It’s the perfect combination of legitimate business that can also masquerade as clandestine intelligence collection.”
…
The reported concerns about cranes are a “paranoia-driven” attempt to obstruct trade and economic cooperation with China, a representative of the Chinese Embassy in Washington told the WSJ. “Playing the ‘China card’ and floating the ‘China threat’ theory is irresponsible and will harm the interests of the US itself.”
The cranes in question are made by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries, known as ZPMC. The company became a major player in the US market by offering high-quality cranes at cheaper prices than Western suppliers. ZPMC has worked with Microsoft and other companies to offer automated systems that can analyze data in real time.
It’s unlikely the feds will actually push for everything made in China to be destroyed or otherwise removed from the country. It’s more likely they’re still in the phase of “creating mass hysteria,” and just seeing how far they can push it.
They must be delighted at how far they can push it.
War with the Chinese, despite the fact that no explanation has been given as to why we would want a war with the Chinese, is the most popular US government policy in decades.