The CIA argued against expelling two Chinese diplomats who were suspected of spying in the United States.
During interagency discussions on how to respond to the breach at a sensitive military base in Norfolk, Virginia, the CIA argued the expulsions could prompt Beijing’s intelligence services to change how they operate, a U.S. official told the Washington Times. Ultimately, it was the State Department’s decision.
The agency was concerned that sending the officials home would lead Chinese intelligence agencies to adopt spying measures that are harder to counter.
The CIA declined the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
American officials suspect at least one of the Chinese officials was an intelligence officer operating under diplomatic cover.
The U.S. government quietly expelled the diplomats this fall after they drove onto the base near Norfolk in September and only stopped when fire trucks blocked their path, the New York Times reported. The officials were accompanied by their wives when they were told to turn around and exit the base by a guard. They claimed to have not understood the guard’s instructions.
The Chinese government denounced the expulsions on Tuesday.
“The U.S. accusation on our officials is completely inconsistent with the truth. We made stern representations and protests to the U.S. side. We urge the U.S. to correct its mistake, withdraw this decision and protect Chinese diplomats’ legitimate rights and interests according to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations,” said Geng Shuang, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, making it the first official acknowledgment by either side of the expulsions.
American officials have increasingly warned about China’s threat to national security.
The expulsions appear to be the first of Chinese diplomats suspected of spying in more than three decades. In 1987, the U.S. apprehended two Chinese diplomats who had tried to obtain classified National Security Agency documents.
