INVESTIGATION: How Chinese 'Infiltrators' Are at Center of Fresh U.S. Spy Ring Fears — With Experts Warning They Are Using James Bond Hotel to 'Monitor America’
The British Colonial Hotel in Nassau may be the center of a Chinese spy ring.
May 29 2025, Published 1:45 p.m. ET
The British Colonial Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas, is under a microscope as China State Construction Engineering Corporation has owned it since 2014, and it may be using it to keep eyes on America, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The famous location is just 50 miles from the Florida coastline, and Rear Adml Peter Brown, a former homeland security adviser to President Donald Trump, thinks it’s the perfect spot to spy on everything from the US embassy to an underwater warfare facility.
Bond Takes On Spies?
The British Colonial Hotel in Nassau makes an appearance in the James Bond film, 'Thunderball.'
“The unique geography of the Bahamas poses a special opportunity to the US, but it also creates risk if the People's Republic of China takes over the best friend role to the government of the Bahamas,” he warned.
The 100-year-old hotel is a Nassau landmark, as it was popular with the Duke of Windsor and his wife, Wallis Simpson, during WWII. It also appeared in the 1965 James Bond classic, Thunderball.
The hotel was made to look like a casino for the spy thriller, and was used in scenes where Bond himself, Sean Connery, battled it out with his nemesis, Emilio Largo, at baccarat.
The United States Is 'Vulnerable'
The iconic hotel is now at the center of a potential spy ring.
British Colonial Hotel also made another appearance in another Bond movie, 1983’s Never Say Never Again, where its private beach is used for a memorable moment involving actress Barbara Carrera waterskiing into Bond’s arms.
Despite the glitz and the glamour, Brown made sure to remind Americans not to be distracted from the potential of spies leaking in.
“The hotel kind of commands the high ground with its upper floor, the ability to electronically surveil not only the embassy itself, but also the people coming and going to and from the embassy and neighboring businesses, means that diplomatic or governmental interests of the United States are vulnerable,” Brown explained.
China State Construction Engineering Corporation currently owns the hotel located in the Bahamas.
While American tourists are very familiar with the Bahamas, using it as a hotspot for tropical getaways, the islands also occupy a key strategic location on the western edge of the Caribbean.
China has kept its fingerprints on the islands. In 2012, Beijing provided a $40million grant for the construction of a national stadium, and the state-owned China Export-Import Bank dropped a massive $2.5billion into the Baha Mar resort and casino.
A $3billion megaport was also built thanks to China, and it’s operated by a Hong Kong-based company.
All Eyes On America
Rear Adml Peter Brown thinks the Chinese are using the hotel to keep an eye on America and its rocket launches.
Even more eerie, China has a clear view of all US space launches in Florida, according to Brown and the US Navy’s Atlantic Underwater Testing and Evaluation Center.
Brown said: “It has for decades been an important site for us, with submarine and anti-submarine warfare testing, and Chinese entities have purchased properties, including entire islands, in the vicinity of the Tongue of the Ocean.”
However, the Trump administration has taken notice of the spy dangers, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously met prime ministers from seven Caribbean nations to discuss his concerns.
Marco's Fight
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Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said: “Secretary Rubio urged our partners to make responsible, transparent decisions when selecting vendors and contractors for critical infrastructure projects, ensuring they are not vulnerable to privacy and security risks and exploitation by malign actors like the Chinese Communist Party.”
At the moment, America remains with its guard up, according to a State Department spokesman.
“China’s predatory tactics have left many countries with excessive debt, undermining their development, stability, and sovereignty," they noted.
“We will continue to work with The Bahamas and other Caribbean nations to ensure they are aware of the risks associated with accepting Chinese investments.”
The Trump administration has taken noticed and warned the Bahamas and other Caribbean nations.
Trump and China are already not on the same page amid the two countries’ trade war, as the controversial politician recently ordered some US companies to stop sales to China.
The president also said he is aiming to "aggressively" revoke the visas of Chinese students studying in the US.
