Washington Should Explain Why US Embassies Purchased Spy Equipment - Beijing

Washington should provide the global community with explanations as to why US embassies across the world purchased spy equipment, as was recently revealed by WikiLeaks, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman said on Monday.

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th December, 2018) Washington should provide the global community with explanations as to why US embassies across the world purchased spy equipment, as was recently revealed by WikiLeaks, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman said on Monday.

"We have paid attention to related reports, and I believe that everyone who has read this information has the same questions as I do: why did the US diplomatic missions need to buy so much spy equipment, what was it used for, who was the target, and what were the reasons ... The United States should provide to the global community explanations for this situation," Hua Chunying said at a press briefing.

On Friday, WikiLeaks released a searchable database, dubbed "US Embassy Shopping List," that comprised over 16,000 procurement requests that US embassies around the world had posted. While the majority of the requests focused on "mundane activities required for the day-to-day operation," there were also requests hinting at covert activities. In August, the US Embassy in El Salvador requested 94 spy cameras, mostly disguised as ties, buttons, watches, lighters and other everyday objects. The US Embassy in Colombia had made a similar request, according to WikiLeaks.