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Report: Chinese Construction Projects Create Opportunity to Spy on African
Leaders

Salem Solomon

   A new report is warning that China may be spying on African government
   officials from within their own buildings.

   The report by the [1]Heritage Foundation, a U.S.-based conservative
   think tank, found that Chinese companies built at least 186 government
   buildings in Africa and 14 "sensitive intragovernmental
   telecommunications networks." These buildings include residences for
   heads of state, parliamentary offices, and police or military
   headquarters.

   The author of the report, Joshua Meservey, senior policy analyst for
   Africa at the Heritage Foundation, said the research does not prove
   there is spying going on at these buildings, but he believes the
   possibility should be explored.

   "The Chinese government has a long history of all types of surveillance
   and espionage globally," Meservey told VOA via Skype. "So we know this
   is the sort of thing they want to do, the sort of thing they have the
   capacity to do. And also, Africa is important enough to them to do it."

   Meservey noted that even private Chinese companies are "legally
   obliged" to help the Chinese Communist Party gather intelligence.

References

   1. https://www.heritage.org/asia/report/government-buildings-africa-are-likely-vector-chinese-spying

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