Home > World > World

CIA targets Chinese gov't insiders with recruitment videos in Mandarin

Published: 08 May. 2025, 11:34

An actor playing a young Chinese Communist Party official contacts the CIA via mobile phone in a Mandarin-language intelligence recruitment video released by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency on May 1. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released a pair of Chinese Mandarin-language videos on YouTube on May 1, aiming to recruit Chinese government insiders by portraying Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials as experiencing disillusionment and fear.

One of the videos, which runs 2 minutes and 27 seconds, opens with the voice of a narrator reflecting on the promises of the party.

“They told us that if we followed the path our leaders had shown us, the future would be bright. But now, this world that was meant to be shared by all belongs to a privileged few,” the narrator says, as the camera shows a young party member covering his sleeping wife with a blanket after returning home late from work.

The video ends with a dramatic turn. The mid-level official, concerned for his family’s safety, initiates contact with the CIA via a secure phone line.

A second video depicts the arrest and removal of a high-ranking official by the party’s disciplinary commission without any explanation. In one scene, a restaurant worker clears dishes from a table left suddenly vacant.

“It’s not uncommon for people to just disappear,” the narrator says.

“I’ve watched people above me climb the party ladder only to be discarded one by one,” continues the narrator. “I’ve come to realize that my fate may not be so different.”

Both videos spotlight a deep sense of fear and disillusionment among CCP elites, portraying them as potential informants for the CIA. As of Wednesday, the videos had garnered 170,000 and 140,000 views, respectively.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe prepares to do a television interview at the White House on April 30, 2025, in Washington. [AP/YONHAP]

According to The New York Times, the videos reflect efforts by CIA Director John Ratclffe to bolster intelligence-gathering efforts on China. Previous CIA leaders had said the videos help develop new sources.

In October last year, the CIA distributed instructions in Chinese, Russian and Korean dialects on how to securely contact the agency, directing viewers to a safe channel on the dark web that does not reveal user information.

While China’s internet is restricted and censored, officials know how to get around them, U.S. officials told The New York Times.

Ratcliffe said the new videos are part of a campaign to recruit Chinese officials with access to state secrets.

“Our agency must continue responding to this threat with urgency, creativity and grit, and these videos are just one of the ways we are doing this,” he said in a statement.

China responded with strong condemnation.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing on May 6 that the CIA’s videos were “yet another clear confession,” accusing the United States of maliciously defaming China and openly enticing defections.

“China will take all necessary measures to firmly strike at infiltration and sabotage activities by anti-China forces abroad,” Lin said, “and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY SHIN KYUNG-JIN [[email protected]]