[Haaretz]
“Washington is concerned that Chinese company’s presence could provide an opening for technological surveillance of what goes on at the port, including collecting information about joint Israeli-American operations.”
“Last year, the U.S. administration offered to conduct a comprehensive security review of the Haifa port, due to Washington’s concern over a Chinese company’s involvement in the expansion of the port. The review would have been conducted by a team from the U.S. Coast Guard, but Israel declined the offer.”
“Chinese involvement in the port project has been harshly criticized for several years in Washington, particularly at the Pentagon. The American defense establishment is concerned that the Chinese activity at the port could provide an opening for technological surveillance of what goes on there, including collection of information about operations of the Israel Navy and joint operations with American ships.”
“The disagreements between Israel and the U.S., as first reported by Haaretz two and a half years ago, continue to weigh on the bilateral defense relationship. Senior American officials have repeatedly expressed their reservations over expanding Chinese influence in Israel and have warned their counterparts that the trend endangers America’s strategic interests in the Middle East.”
“There is now a new report on the subject, produced by the Washington-based Jewish Institute for National Security of America. The institute works to protect American interests in the Middle East and to strengthen U.S. ties with Israel. It brings together retired senior defense officials, including retired generals and admirals, who frequently visit Israel and are in close contact with Israel’s top leadership.”
“The authors recommend that Israel adopt a government strategy for assessing the threat posed by China, which would include reviewing Chinese misappropriation of Israeli technology, counterintelligence efforts to detect Chinese penetration of Israeli academia, systematic screening of foreign investments and tighter export controls. As for the United States, they said, it should help Israel defend itself against Chinese penetration by elevating the level of intelligence sharing, expand financing of Israeli infrastructure projects and enable U.S. government investment in Israeli technology.”
Read more: Israel Rejected U.S. Inspection of Haifa Port Over Fear of Chinese Surveillance (also on jinsa.org)
2021-week19
