Pentagon accusation: “Beijing is exploiting our army to fill the gaps in its army.”

The Chinese government is working to fill some gaps in its military apparatus. To do this, he thought it best to ask his boss for help – without being noticed competitor On the international scene: the United States. The complaint comes directly from the Pentagon, in a classified document it obtained Washington Post. According to the US Department of Defense, the Chinese military is waging a campaign of “exploitation” of current and former members of the US military. In the memo, which was distributed to Air Force personnel, the Pentagon explains that Beijing’s military uses foreign companies, with which it has business relationships, that hire “militaries trained in the United States and NATO.” It is not clear how many American soldiers have participated so far, but there is some concern in Washington about the “worrying increase in these activities.” For the United States, this is a security issue first and foremost. “Those who accept contracts with these foreign companies put our national security, their fellow soldiers and American citizens at risk,” Gen. Charles Brown Jr., the Air Force commander and soon-to-be joint chief of staff, wrote in the memo in place of Gen. Mark Milley.

Beijing recruitment

Military members – and former members – who cooperate with Beijing have been asked – in some cases without their knowledge – to teach advanced military skills and tactics. Among the numbers requested by China will be not only pilots, as has already happened on other occasions in the past, but also former supervisors of aerospace equipment and landing signal officers for military aircraft. The memo sent by the Pentagon sounds more like a warning to members of the Air Force. A pilot, for example, revealed to Washington Post In the past, I received a job offer from a South African company, but without noticing anything suspicious. “It may seem so legitimate, that I didn’t realize it until I gained a little basic knowledge – the officer explained to the American newspaper -. “I’d just like to say that I felt a little proud that he evaded my detection for almost two years.”

Chinese embassy response

After scooping Washington PostLiu Bingyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, did not deny the statements of General Brown and the Pentagon. In a statement issued earlier today, the Chinese government limited itself to urging the United States to “respect the normal business activities carried out by relevant companies and not generalize and abuse the concept of national security and discredit relevant companies.” The Chinese embassy statement adds that in recent years, US officials have been quick to accuse China, endangering the “normal exchanges and cooperation” between the two countries in a way that is “not conducive to the healthy development” of bilateral relations. .