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CIA Releases Mandarin Videos to Recruit Disillusioned Chinese Officials

The cinematic campaign targets CCP insiders with secure dark-web contact methods, signaling intensifying U.S. intelligence efforts against Beijing.

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A security officer keeps watch during the second plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China March 7, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
CIA Director John Ratcliffe departs after a television interview at the White House, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Overview

  • The CIA unveiled two Mandarin-language videos on May 1, 2025, aimed at recruiting Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials and junior cadres disillusioned with China's political system.
  • The videos, posted across platforms like YouTube, Telegram, and Instagram, depict fictional scenarios of officials seeking to protect their families and futures by contacting the CIA securely via the dark web.
  • This campaign builds on an October 2024 initiative targeting informants in China, Iran, and North Korea, following previous successes in recruiting Russian sources.
  • CIA Director John Ratcliffe emphasized that China remains the agency's top intelligence priority, citing its global ambitions in technology, military, and economics.
  • Beijing has not yet responded to the videos, but past statements from Chinese officials have condemned U.S. efforts as disinformation and attempts to destabilize the CCP.