Chinese Communist Party officials operating at a consulate building in Houston, Texas, engaged in espionage operations on Beijing’s behalf and waged cyber attacks across the United States…
Chinese Communist Party officials operating at a consulate building in Houston, Texas, engaged in espionage operations on Beijing’s behalf and waged cyber attacks across the United States for at least a decade in one of the most sophisticated operations of its nature, according to senior law enforcement and State Department officials.
The Chinese consulate in Houston was ordered by the Trump administration to shutter its operations as of Friday, though it is unclear if China will heed this order. Communist Party officials have been caught shredding documents and other materials since the order was handed down earlier this week in what American officials say is an attempt to destroy evidence of these espionage operations.
The Houston facility is one of 25 known locations across the United States in which China installed undercover operatives to spy on the American government, U. S. businesses, and academic research institutions, according to multiple senior Trump administration officials familiar with the activities. From these outposts, Chinese officials “facilitated covert activity by instructing People’s Liberation Army (PLA) members to purposefully violate U. S. laws by making false statements on their visa applications and lying about their affiliation with the PLA,” according to information provided by the State Department.
