China on Friday vowed to take “all necessary measures” to counter what it described as foreign espionage activities, after the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released a Chinese-language recruitment video aimed at members of China's military establishment.
According to news agency AFP, Beijing's foreign ministry condemned the move, calling it an attempt by “anti-China forces” to infiltrate and sabotage the country.
The CIA published the video on its official YouTube channel on Thursday. The clip appears to target disaffected Chinese military officers and seeks information about China's leadership and armed forces.
“China will take all necessary measures to resolutely combat infiltration and sabotage activities of foreign anti-China forces and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing when asked about the video, AFP reported.
However, Beijing did not specify what countermeasures it may adopt.
What The CIA Video Shows
The video portrays a fictional Chinese military officer who decides to contact the CIA after concluding that “the only thing leaders are protecting is their own interest” and that “their power is based on countless lies.”
The character is shown spending time with his family before secretly working inside his car during heavy rain. As he types on a laptop, he says: “Picking this path is my way of fighting for my family and my country.”
The accompanying message urges individuals with knowledge of China's top leadership, military or strategic sectors to come forward.
“Do you have information about high-ranking Chinese leaders? Are you a military officer or have dealings with the military? Do you work in intelligence, diplomacy, economics, science, or advanced technology fields, or deal with people working in these fields? Please contact us. We want to understand the truth,” the text reads. It adds that the CIA can be contacted “securely through our Tor hidden service.”
Part Of Broader US Push
The latest outreach follows a series of similar recruitment videos released last year as part of a broader effort to expand intelligence collection on China.
At the time, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the campaign was aimed at recruiting Chinese officials who may be dissatisfied or facing internal pressures.
They are “just one of many ways that we're adjusting our tradecraft,” Ratcliffe had said.
Beijing had earlier described such efforts as “naked political provocation,” accusing Washington of “maliciously smearing and attacking China” and “openly deceiving and luring Chinese personnel to surrender,” AFP reported.
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