Overview

• The CIA began releasing Mandarin-language videos in May on platforms including YouTube and X to solicit Chinese officials for espionage by portraying fictional insiders concerned about party corruption.
• On June 25, China’s Ministry of State Security labeled the adverts “absurd” and “amateurish,” warning that any attempts to induce betrayal will fail and pledging to safeguard national interests.
• The videos provided dark web contact details and slogans like “Heaven helps those who help themselves,” aiming to entice informants to share classified information.
• This operation is part of a larger CIA strategy to expand human intelligence sources in adversarial states, following similar efforts targeting Iran, North Korea and Russia.
• The campaign has intensified US-China espionage tensions, following Beijing’s accusations of US cyber agents at the Asian Winter Games and the death sentence of a Chinese engineer for leaking secrets.