Lithuania, a small European country, said Wednesday (Feb. 17) that it has banned China’s largest security equipment maker Tongfang Nuctech Co. from working with Lithuanian airports. Another small EU country, Estonia, warned the EU about the dangers of Chinese (Communist Party of China) and Russian espionage.
In addition to announcing a ban on Nuctech, Lithuanian authorities are drafting a bill that would prohibit other companies that pose a security risk from receiving future contracts in the country’s transportation, energy and telecommunications sectors, according to a Feb. 18 report by the European online news “EUobserver.
Lithuanian intelligence and cyber defense forces consider the company “Tongfang Nuctech” to be “a threat to national security.
“The use of equipment and technologies from China and Russia in sensitive areas poses a short- and long-term threat,” Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Margiris Abukevičius told “EUobserver.”
“The decision to ban Tongfang Nuctech is a step towards our strategic goal – to get rid of unreliable technology suppliers and eliminate possible security risks before they cause damage.” He said.
“According to EUobserver, Lithuania’s move has the potential to sharpen the EU’s debate on China.
Possible security risks posed by Tongfang Nuctech
Tongfang Nuctech was founded in 1997, with roots in Tsinghua University. The company was led for much of the 2000s by Hu Haifeng, then son of Communist Party General Secretary Hu Jintao, until 2008. In 2019, a unit of the Communist Party’s central enterprise, China National Nuclear Corporation, became the controlling shareholder of Tongfang Nuctech’s parent company.
Tongfang Nuctech’s cargo, baggage and passenger screening systems are used extensively in European ports, border crossings and airports. The systems used to screen cargo at ports and passenger baggage at airports and train stations are increasingly linked to databases containing cargo manifests and passenger information, including passports, fingerprints and other details.
Outsiders are concerned that these networked systems could give Tongfang Vistas and similar companies access to personal and business information. In a May 26, 2020, memo, the State Department said U.S. officials were concerned that Tongfang Nuctech could turn over such data to Communist authorities. The memo also outlined U.S. dissuasion activities in Europe, warning allied nations that Tongfang Nuctech’s control of European infrastructure nodes poses a security threat to civil and military transport between NATO member countries.
According to a U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) memo previously seen by The Wall Street Journal, the TSA effectively banned Tongfang Nuctech from most markets at U.S. airports in 2014 after a review. the results of the TSA review are confidential, so it is impossible to know the specifics.
The China Daily reported last June that the Trump administration was targeting Tongfang Nuctech and urging its European allies to kick the company out of Europe.
According to a State Department memo dated May 26, 2020, U.S. diplomats are trying to block Tongfang Nuctech’s bids in Greece, Hungary, Italy and Portugal; and are also preventing the company from supplying cargo X-ray scanners and equipment with remote screening capabilities to the German Defense Ministry. U.S. officials believe the equipment could be used on operations including those of U.S. and other NATO forces.
Estonia: Chinese Communist Propaganda Aimed at Dividing Europe
“The EU announced an investment treaty with Beijing late last year despite fears that the Chinese Communist Party is buying up Europe’s strategic assets in a sinister way, according to EUobserver.
The U.S. has also urged the EU to be cautious with China (the Chinese Communist Party) in light of its provocative military posture and horrific human rights record in the Pacific.
And the Baltic states are becoming the tip of the EU’s spear against the CCP. For its part, Estonian intelligence warns that Europe’s new trade and investment darling is trying to weaken its resistance to the CCP, while also warning of the CCP’s attempts to divide Europe.
In its 2021 report released Wednesday (Feb. 17), Estonian foreign intelligence service Välisluureamet said that “implementing China’s (CCP) foreign policy doctrine, or building a ‘community of common Destiny,’ will lead to a world of silence dominated by Beijing . Faced with growing confrontation with the West, China’s (CCP) main goal is to create a divide between the United States and Europe.”
“The Chinese (CCP) leadership understands that a united West is an insurmountable obstacle for China (CCP) that must be broken.” The report said.
“Using various topics such as Iran, climate or health care, China (CCP) wants to find as much common ground with Europe as possible to convince European leaders that, contrary to U.S. claims, China (CCP) is a reliable partner.” The report said, “China (CCP) understands well that a divided Europe is a weak adversary and that its opposition to China (CCP) is unlikely to be as fierce as that of the United States. However, despite calls for closer cooperation, China (CCP) has no intention of changing itself, but rather wants to use its size and influence to silence any criticism from Europe.”
Estonia noted that in addition to strategic investments, China (CCP) is also stepping up its anti-EU propaganda.
“China’s (CCP) influence operations are aimed at weakening Europe’s open societies,” The report said.
The report also said that the Communist Party is also harassing Chinese expatriates in EU countries such as Estonia with “ideological manipulation.
Beijing is in talks with Russia and Belarus to participate in a large-scale military exercise called Zapad21 later this year.
“If the Chinese (Communist Party of China) confirms its participation… it will be interesting to see how the Chinese (Communist Party of China) armed forces define their role in a simulated military operation against NATO.” Välisluureamet said.
Estonia is a frontline NATO country and one of the few EU countries to invest heavily in intelligence.
For example, Estonia has more than three times the number of counterintelligence personnel dedicated to Russia compared to Belgium.
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