7 Chinese arrested for entering Guam island during US missile test

Reuters reported on December 21 that seven Chinese people were arrested for illegally entering Guam island at a time when the US Missile Defense Agency conducted an important interception test using a new radar.

Guam Customs and Quarantine said at least four of the seven people arrested between December 10 and 11 were found “in the vicinity of a military facility.” Guam has several military facilities, including Andersen Air Force Base, where the US tested the missile on December 10.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW-USA) released a report on December 20 stating that "conducting espionage activities against US military facilities, especially those capable of launching missiles, could provide China with valuable intelligence information."

Guam authorities said all the Chinese nationals arrived on the same boat from Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands) and the investigation is ongoing.

China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The US plans to create a network of air and missile defenses at 16 locations around the island to deter any missile attack on Guam, a plan that would make any attack too complex and resource-intensive to carry out.

The plan aims to integrate America's most advanced radar and missile defense systems and could cost up to $10 billion over the next decade.

The December 10 test was successful and the US Missile Defense Agency said it could conduct up to two intercept tests per year.