Some lost Chinese tourists making a wrong turn onto a U.S. military base wouldn’t normally be cause for alarm. But add up more than a hundred similar incidents in recent years and all those “accidents” start to look like a pattern.
First reported in The Wall Street Journal last September, the startling frequency of so-called Chinese gate crashers suggests a coordinated effort to test security at U.S. military installations and an unsophisticated yet potentially viable espionage numbers game. The more attempts, the better the chances of success. And with more than 22,000 Border Patrol encounters with Chinese nationals at the southern border between October 1, 2023, and March 30, 2024, alone – a massive increase from the 2,176 and 450 encountered in the prior two fiscal years, respectively – it appears that the Chinese government is exploiting a glaring national security weakness to their advantage.
Indeed, Chinese “tourists” have been turning up at sensitive U.S. military and government sites around the world in recent years, including at a U.S. missile base in New Mexico, an artic warfare training base in Alaska, and a rocket launch site in Florida – where they were reportedly caught scuba-diving in murky waters with photography equipment. The Wall Street Journal reported that a suspiciously large number seemed to share a scripted story about making a wrong turn while following a GPS to a local McDonald’s or Burger King. Others have attempted to force their way past gate security, claiming a reservation at a commercial hotel on post.
The latest reported incident this March involved a Chinese national arrested in California after attempting entry onto the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. When confronted about a lack of valid ID, the unidentified military-aged male refused orders to leave and proceeded onto the base without authorization. He was arrested and turned over to U.S. Border Patrol agents after it was determined he was unlawfully present in the United States.
Just months earlier, in October 2023, Chinese “tourists” purportedly visiting Hawaii for two days with no hotel room were caught using drones and photography equipment to capture images of Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam in Hawaii – the fourteenth such incident at the base since 2018.
National security officials and congressional investigators are taking note. Last October, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs requested briefings from the FBI and DoD on the scope of the problem. And, while the classified briefings will likely mean little more on this released to the public, China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law has been widely reported to require average Chinese citizens to assist in intelligence-gathering efforts. That makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish between legitimate, albeit naïve, tourists and those with ulterior motives.
This article is intended as general information only and should not be construed as legal advice. Although the information is believed to be accurate as of the publication date, no guarantee or warranty is offered or implied. Laws and government policies are subject to change, and the information provided herein may not provide a complete or current analysis of the topic or other pertinent considerations. Consult an attorney regarding your specific situation.
