- LONDON (Reuters) - China
has said its intelligence officers found more than 20 spying devices in
a Boeing 767 meant to become President Jiang Zemin's official plane after
it was delivered from the U.S., the Financial Times said on
Saturday.
-
- Citing Chinese officials, the newspaper said it was
unclear
when the aircraft was fitted with the bugs, said to be tiny and operated
by satellite.
-
- The devices were detected after the plane emitted a
strange
static whine during test flights in China in September, shortly after it
was delivered. One device was found in a lavatory and another in the
headboard
of the presidential bed.
-
- The discovery came ahead of a planned summit between
President Bush and Jiang in Beijing next month. The Chinese president was
said to be furious about the find, the FT said.
-
- The aircraft was made at the Boeing factory in Seattle
and then fitted with VIP equipment and upholstery by another company. The
plane was under surveillance by Chinese officials throughout, the newspaper
said.
-
- Boeing had no comment on the report but spokeswoman
Debbie
Heathers told Reuters a 767-300ER plane, which was delivered to Delta Air
Lines in June 2000, was re-sold to China United Airlines -- the air
force-run
airline that ordered the aircraft -- and customized for executive use by
Jiang Zemin by a modification company in Texas.
-
- A Delta spokesman said he had no immediate
comment.
-
- The FT quoted Chinese officials as saying the security
forces had launched an investigation into possible negligence within China
United Airlines and state-owned China Aviation Supplies Export and Import
Corp (CASC), which was responsible for importing the plane.
-
- Some 20 air force officers had been held for questioning
and two CASC officials had been taken into custody for questioning, the
FT said.
-
- The U.S. and China clashed over espionage issues in April
last year when a Chinese fighter jet and U.S. spy plane collided over the
South China Sea, resulting in the death of the Chinese pilot and the
grounding
of the U.S. plane in China.
|
