China has been accused of sending spies disguised as tourists to try to break into secret military facilities in the United States, as Beijing tries to enlist "the whole of society" to defend itself against foreign enemies.
At the same time, efforts to improve relations between the US and China are faltering, world media write.
Potential threats
Chinese nationals, sometimes posing as tourists, have accessed US military bases and sensitive sites as many as 100 times in recent years, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials who described the incidents as potential espionage threats.
The Department of Defense, the FBI and other US agencies conducted an audit last year to try to limit those incidents. The newspaper said the incidents involved attempts to enter US military bases without proper authorization.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the trespassers ranged from Chinese nationals found trespassing on a US missile test site in New Mexico to divers swimming in the murky waters near a US government missile test site in Florida.
The incidents, described by U.S. officials as a form of espionage, appear to be designed to probe security practices at U.S. military installations and other federal sites, the New York newspaper said, adding that officials familiar with the practice said the individuals, usually Chinese nationals, were forced to espionage activities that you are required to report to the Chinese government.
Some intrusions are benign, such as those involving people who say they follow Google Maps to direct them, the paper said, to the nearest McDonald's or Burger King, which happens to be on a nearby military base.
Others seemed more worrisome, the insiders said, noting that there had been examples of individuals using drones to bolster their surveillance efforts. In at least one case, the newspaper reported, the raid resulted in publicized arrests and prosecutions.
Concerns about the base incursions come amid rising tensions between the two powers, particularly after a Chinese balloon flew over the US earlier this year carrying what officials said was surveillance equipment.
The incidents, according to the Wall Street Journal, also shed light on concerns that Beijing is using non-traditional means to gather intelligence on US soil, either through proximity to bases or through commercial Chinese-made equipment that could be used for spying.
Angry reactions from the Chinese authorities
Accusations against China of sending spies disguised as tourists to try to enter secret military facilities in the United States have surfaced in American media at a time when efforts to improve relations between the two countries appear to be faltering, the Times of London points out.
US media reports, according to the Times, suggest that Chinese authorities deliberately recruited citizens to test security, knowing that the worst that could happen would be accusations of trespassing or minor security violations.
Chinese authorities have reacted angrily to the allegations and their leaks to the media, calling them "purely malicious fabrications".
"We call on the relevant US officials to abandon the Cold War mentality, stop baseless accusations and do more things that contribute to strengthening mutual trust," the Chinese embassy in Washington said.
At the same time, the London newspaper points out, it seems that this year's attempts by both sides to lower the temperature in their increasingly hostile relations have failed.
Chinese President Xi Jinping preempted hopes of a meeting with US President Biden by refusing to attend this week's G20 summit in India, the Times reported, noting that the last meeting between Biden and Xi was at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last year.
China's Ministry of State Security also signaled on Tuesday that it would decline an invitation to travel to the US in November for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, where the two leaders were expected to meet.
"In order to really take (the step) from Bali to San Francisco, the United States must show true sincerity," the state security ministry said.
'Old wine in new bottles'
The rare warning from the Ministry of Homeland Security came less than seven days after US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visited Beijing, who gave a mostly positive assessment of meetings with Chinese officials, the Financial Times points out.
"Recently, a series of US officials visited China one after the other, saying that the Biden administration has no intention of curbing China's development or seeking separation from China," the powerful Chinese spy agency said in a statement, adding that the US strategy of getting closer to China was "old wine in new bottles".
The ministry accused the US of continuing to "stir up trouble" in the South China Sea and Tibet, the Financial Times points out, adding that Washington said it would punish Chinese officials responsible for what it called the forced assimilation of a million Tibetan children in government boarding schools.
In addition, Biden last month described China as a "ticking time bomb," saying the country is in trouble because its economic growth has slowed.
However, the newspaper wrote, the comments by the Ministry of State Security were Beijing's sharpest response to recent statements from the US, which is seeking to re-establish dialogue and improve bilateral relations.
A call for mass vigilance
Meanwhile, Beijing is trying to enlist "the whole of society" to defend itself against foreign enemies, the New York Times reports, adding that the line between caution and paranoia is blurring.
Chinese universities require faculty to take courses on protecting state secrets, even in departments such as veterinary medicine, while a kindergarten in the eastern city of Tianjin organized a meeting to teach staff how to "understand and use" China's anti-espionage law.
China's Ministry of State Security, an otherwise secretive department that oversees the secret police and intelligence services, even opened its first social media account in what official media described as an attempt to increase public engagement.
The Ministry's first post calls for the "mobilization of the entire society" against espionage, while the announcement states that "the participation of the masses should be normalized."
China's ruling Communist Party is enlisting ordinary people to protect themselves against perceived threats to the country in a campaign that blurs the line between caution and paranoia, according to the New York Times.
Even as China's economy faces its worst slowdown in years, China's authoritarian leader Xi Jinping appears more fixated on national security and preventing threats to party control.
"We must be prepared for the worst possible and extreme scenarios," Xi told China's National Security Commission in May, urging officials to "improve real-time monitoring" and "prepare for real combat."
The sense of urgency can be heightened by the fact that, in addition to economic challenges, relations between China and the West are increasingly strained, the newspaper pointed out, adding that the possible goal of the campaign is to make even the slightest connection between Chinese citizens and foreigners cause for suspicion.
Beijing has not issued any clear instructions on contact with foreigners; claims that China remains open, praising the importance of foreign investment. However, the New York Times pointed out, the signals are contradictory.
Authorities raided or questioned the offices of several American consulting firms this spring, accusing one of trying to obtain state secrets through Chinese experts it hired.
"Caution" has also spread to cultural fields where exchanges were richest in the past, the New York newspaper points out, adding that some academics have stopped meeting foreigners, while halls across China have canceled performances by foreign musicians.
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