Washington (CNN) Two Chinese Embassy officials were "secretly expelled" by the US earlier this year after they entered a "sensitive" military base in Virginia, The New York Times reported Sunday, citing conversations with people with knowledge of the episode. The Times said half a dozen people with knowledge of the expulsions said US officials believe "at least one of the Chinese officials, who were with their wives, was an intelligence officer operating under diplomatic cover." Officials at the Chinese Embassy "complained to State Department officials about the expulsions," the Times reported, noting that the action comes amid heightened tensions between the US and China, "the world's two largest economies and biggest strategic rivals." The newspaper said that the September incident occurred at a base near Norfolk, Virginia, that includes Special Operations forces. But the officials instead proceeded to drive further onto the base and were eventually stopped when fire trucks "blocked them," the newspaper said.

Source: CNN December 15, 2019 14:26 UTC