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Heritage Foundation: China’s Construction of Government Buildings in Africa Potentially Enhances Beijing’s Spying Capabilities

by Eric Olander

The conservative Heritage Foundation in the United States published a new report on Wednesday arguing that China’s intelligence capabilities are potentially enhanced by Beijing’s drive to construct government buildings across the continent.

“Chinese companies have constructed or renovated (or both) at least 186 sensitive African government buildings; Chinese telecommunications firms have built at least 14 intra-governmental, “secure” telecommunications networks; and the Chinese government has gifted computers to at least 35 African governments,” said the report’s author, Joshua Meservey, a senior policy analyst for Africa and the Middle East.

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