(ConservativeFreePress.com) – A group of eight Senators from the Republican Party is pressing the Department of Justice and the FBI to probe allegations that the Chinese government is clandestinely running seven “observation hubs” within the United States to monitor and threaten Chinese Americans who oppose their views.
The appeal was made through a public letter penned to Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen and the director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, under the guidance of Marsha Blackburn, the Senator from Tennessee.
This push comes at a time of escalating tension between the U.S. and China, as the two global powers engage in disputes over Taiwan’s status, territorial claims in the South China Sea, human rights issues, and surveillance. In a significant event in February, a balloon suspected to be a Chinese spy device was intercepted and brought down near South Carolina after traversing a substantial portion of the continental U.S. In June, to alleviate the growing friction, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited China, becoming the first senior American diplomat to do so in half a decade.
The letter cites an investigative report by the Daily Caller which suggests that Chinese intelligence bodies are active within seven “service hubs” across America, while maintaining strong ties with law enforcement agencies in Beijing.
These hubs are reportedly known as ‘Overseas Chinese Service Centers (OCSCs)’ and operate under the guise of U.S. nonprofit organizations, claiming to foster Chinese culture and provide support to the Chinese diaspora.
The Senators highlighted in their letter, “These OCSCs, which were seemingly created to ‘foster Chinese culture and aid Chinese citizens living overseas,’ allegedly have connections with China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS), the national police agency of China.
“The MPS also functions as an intelligence arm for the CCP (the governing Chinese Communist Party), making these claims particularly disturbing and demanding an urgent investigation. The intent of the CCP in operating these OCSCs is unmistakable: to monitor and threaten Chinese Americans who voice dissent.”
The Senators further queried the FBI and the Department of Justice if they concur with the allegations that the OCSCs were established to “monitor and intimidate Chinese American dissidents” and if they are privy to any plans by Beijing to expand this network to other cities.
Other than Blackburn, the letter was endorsed by Senators John Cornyn, Deb Fischer, Kevin Cramer, Bill Hagerty, Ted Cruz, Mike Braun, and Steve Daines.
On June 3, a U.S. destroyer in the Taiwan Strait had a close call with a Chinese warship that came within 150 feet of it, leading to the U.S. navy alleging that their Chinese counterparts executed “unsafe maneuvers.”
Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe James Stavridis highlighted the incident on Twitter, cautioning that such situations could escalate into full-blown warfare.
In his words, “As a former sea captain of a similar U.S. destroyer, watching this video almost stopped my heart. The Chinese Navy’s conduct was extremely unprofessional and provocative. Such incidents can trigger wars. Shame on the PLA (Chinese People’s Liberation Army) Navy.”
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