A high-ranking American official confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton, in his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier this week, discussed – among others – U.S. concerns about the use of Chinese communications equipment in sensitive sectors across Israel. In an interview to Israel’s public radio broadcast, the American official underlined a growing concern in Washington with regard to the phenomenon of intellectual property theft and the fact that Chinese communications companies are employed to collect intelligence. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the Trump administration did not want there to be impediments that would make it difficult for them to share sensitive information with Jerusalem. Furthermore, Washington is worried about China’s involvement in building a private port in Israel’s northern city of Haifa. The main concern stems from the fact that U.S. Navy vessels of the Sixth Fleet often dock in the port of Haifa. In what was perceived in Jerusalem as a signal of dismay vis-à-vis the growing Chinese involvement in the northern Israeli port of Haifa, the U.S. Navy decided some three months ago to dock one of its battle-ships in the southern Israeli port of Ashdod, for the first time in almost 20 years.
