US lawmakers accuse China of using UN peacekeeping forces to spy on countries

US lawmakers expressed concerns on Wednesday that China is using its participation in UN peacekeeping forces for espionage. During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Republican Representative Sheri Biggs stated that China's peacekeeping deployments are concentrated in strategically sensitive areas, including Belt and Road Initiative corridors, ports, and resource-rich regions. These locations are also near existing or potential military basing sites. Lawmakers voiced long-standing worries that China's peacekeeping designation might serve as a cover for advancing its military and intelligence objectives in regions where the US has strategic interests. The hearing also became a partisan debate regarding funding and the Iran war.