Pentagon Chief Mark Esper: China, Russia Exploit Coronavirus Emergency

Pentagon Chief Mark Esper: China, Russia Exploit Coronavirus Emergency:

Russia and China see the coronavirus emergency engulfing Europe as a crisis they can exploit, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday, specifically pointing to Chinese efforts to push Huawei 5G network equipment as malign.
“(The United States) is aware that some (countries) will try to use the pandemic as a way to invest in critical industry and infrastructure, with effect on security in the long term,” Esper told newspaper La Stampa, when asked whether China and Russia were trying to gain influence in Italy by sending aid.