On Thursday, the CIA released two social media videos targeting disillusioned Chinese officials, urging them to spy for the United States. The videos aim to exploit widespread government corruption and repression within China.
The cinematic Mandarin-language clips, shared across various platforms, closely resemble previous recruiting efforts by the CIA, which have been aimed at encouraging Russians to provide intelligence to the U.S. According to officials, those Russian-language videos have been effective.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe has committed to prioritizing China in the agency’s intelligence operations, with these new videos being a key part of that strategy.
In a statement, Ratcliffe announced, “Today, the CIA launched Mandarin-language videos designed to recruit Chinese officials to steal secrets.”
He went on to say, “No adversary in the history of our nation has posed a greater challenge or a more capable strategic competitor than the Chinese Communist Party. Our agency must continue to address this threat with urgency, innovation, and determination, and these videos are one of the ways we’re doing so.”
The Chinese embassy has yet to respond to a request for comment.
Six months ago, the CIA published a text-based video in Mandarin detailing how to securely contact the agency through the “dark web,” a portion of the internet accessible only with specialized software. According to agency officials, the video was viewed 900,000 times.
Despite the challenges posed by China’s authoritarian regime, a growing number of Chinese individuals are coming forward to share information via the dark web, a CIA official revealed.
During his time as Director of National Intelligence in the first Trump administration, Ratcliffe identified China as the United States’ most formidable adversary across economic, political, and military fronts.
The second video targets junior officials within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Ratcliffe explained that these lower-level workers often face limited career advancement and see their efforts benefiting only the CCP’s elite. The video concludes with the message: “Heaven helps those who help themselves. Your fate is in your control.”
Appealing to Party Officials:
In one video, a young man, depicted as a junior Chinese Communist Party official, dutifully follows a senior official as he shops for luxury suits and an expensive watch. The junior official narrates his growing frustration with the stark wealth disparity between the elite party members and the rest of society.
“We give our lives to the party, but they are the ones who reap the rewards,” he says. “We’re taught that hard work and following the rules will bring us a better life. But why is it that only a select few can enjoy such happiness?”
The junior official expresses disillusionment, lamenting the party’s promise of prosperity for all, only to see the fruits of collective effort enjoyed by a privileged few. Eventually, he resolves to “forge my own path.”
As dramatic music intensifies, he steps out of his modest apartment. “The hardest part of the journey is the first step. It’s time to chase my own dreams,” he says, tapping a link on his phone to secretly reach out to the CIA.
In a second video, a senior party official, well-dressed and attending a formal dinner, senses that his colleagues are plotting against him. He fears he may share the fate of others who’ve been removed from power.
“It’s easy to become just a memory,” the official reflects. “And far too common to simply disappear.”
Worried for his family’s future, he declares he cannot allow their fate to be controlled by party elites. He predicts, “The whispers will only grow louder.”
Choosing “another way” to ensure his family’s well-being, the official contacts the CIA via a secure portal on his phone. “No matter what my future holds, my family will live well,” he says.
In February, Russia countered the CIA’s Russian-language recruitment videos by releasing its own, attempting to persuade American “patriots” to share secrets with Russian intelligence services.
U.S. officials have expressed concern that Chinese and Russian intelligence agencies are looking to exploit staffing cuts from the Trump administration. They aim to recruit CIA employees and other U.S. spies who were offered buyouts, persuading them to work for Beijing and Moscow.
