China Condemns CIA’s Social Media Spy Recruitment Effort
China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) has branded the CIA’s recent effort to recruit Chinese citizens through social media videos as an “absurd” and “amateurish” attempt. The videos, which were posted on the platform X (formerly Twitter), aimed to coax Chinese officials into spying for the United States.
‘Job Ads’ for Spies Draw Sharp Criticism
The MSS described the videos as crude “job advertisements” riddled with “clumsy rhetoric” and slanders. In an official statement, the ministry mocked the CIA’s approach, suggesting it only served to expose American intelligence agencies’ “paranoid delusions” and turn them into a “global laughingstock.”
According to the MSS, such tactics are foolish gambits unlikely to succeed in winning over Chinese citizens. The ministry emphasized its commitment to defending China’s strategic interests and core secrets, warning that any recruiting attempts or intelligence infiltration would ultimately fail.
CIA Director Confirms Recruitment Intentions
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed the videos were intentionally designed to entice Chinese officials to share state secrets and assist the U.S. intelligence community. The posts, which emerged last month, were previously denounced by Beijing as a “naked political provocation.”
Public Reaction and Broader Context
On China’s Weibo, a platform similar to X, the videos sparked ridicule and skepticism. Many users humorously suggested retaliatory scams targeting the CIA. One typical comment read, “Can we organize scammers to defraud the CIA? We trick the US and profit at the same time.”
This incident is just the latest in a long-standing pattern of espionage accusations between the two nations. Earlier this year, Chinese authorities implicated several U.S. agents in cyberattacks tied to the Asian Winter Games in Harbin. Additionally, a former engineer was sentenced to death for leaking state secrets to foreign entities.
Why This Matters
The tit-for-tat espionage allegations underscore the intense rivalry and mistrust that colors Sino-American relations. Such public confrontations on social media platforms highlight the evolving battleground for intelligence operations in an increasingly digital world.
