Recently leaked American intelligence documents have delineated many aspects of intelligence gathering employed by the United States. With the main focus on Russia due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, America’s tact in spying on China has escaped wide spread notice. With the Republic of China and the Russian Federation holding talks over using the yuan for trade, especially with OPEC nations for the procurement of crude oil, the focus has shifted to the widening rift between U.S.A and China once again. China and the United States are also at loggerheads in the South China sea where the US has responded to Chinese advances towards Taiwan by showing an increased presence in contested areas.
The 73 documents reviewed by CNN detail America’s concerns over an increase in Sino-Russian co-operation, not just in trade and resource sharing but also with regard to Chinese involvement in the Ukraine conflict. The documents make it apparent that American intelligence knows of China’s strategy incase Ukraine uses NATO or United States sourced long range weapons to attack the Russian heartland or high-ranking officials. Ukrainian authorities have already pledged not to use NATO/American weapons to attack targets within the main body of the Russian state. Furthermore, the United States have also voiced their apprehension about giving Ukraine long range weapons. The reason behind this stand is that American intelligence fears it would prompt China to give lethal military aid to Russia. From the Chinese perspective, such an attack from Ukraine on Russia’s heartland would be considered an escalation in the war at the behest of NATO and the United States. Something that Xi Jinping would not accept without retaliation.
With regards to the Taiwan issue, the documents show the United States monitoring high yield Chinese weapon systems and China’s naval movements in the South China Sea, especially in the Taiwan strait. The United States is also aware of the February 25 flight test of the DF-27 intermediate range ballistic missile class multirole hypersonic glide vehicle conducted by China. The missile is a part of China’s ever expanding hypersonic arsenal and is capable of breaching US missile defenses.
This also explains the escalation of the hypersonic missile race between the two nations. Hypersonic glide vehicles have the ability to travel at 5 times the speed of light or above. They can also be maneuvered mid-flight making them next to impossible to shoot down. China boasts of the most advanced hypersonic weapons systems in the world, something that irks the United States.
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Another entry in the report suggests that the Chinese navy has deployed Yusen LHA-31s for extended missions for the first time in an attempt to prepare them for combat. American Intelligence has also made signals intercepts which inform them of Chinese communication with other nations. For instance, China is in talks with Nicaragua for the construction of a deep-water port in the Caribbean. This port could have military applications with grave consequences for the United States. Other intercepts also brought to light that China was displeased with Jordan’s plans to not involve Chinese telecommunication companies in its 5G expansion. Jordan responded by assuaging Chinese concerns and saying that they had every intention of continuing a fruitful partnership with Beijing.
With such high-level classified information making the rounds publicly, United States Intelligence is on its toes, attempting to isolate the leak and make sure their communications are secure.