Executive Summary

We assess that the level of Chinese espionage activities against the West is increasing in intensity and scope. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) intelligence network has a vast reach and includes multiple agencies such as the Ministry of State Security (MSS), the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), and the intelligence wings of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Together, they form an important arm of Chinese foreign policy and conduct intelligence through a mix of state and non-state actors, employing untraditional methods, cyber operations, private citizens, and institutions. Chinese espionage operations against the West range from covert influence operations to traditional HUMINT sources – in a recent case from September 2024, former CIA officer Alexander Yuk Ching Ma was sentenced for spying for the MSS. [source]

Estimates suggest that Beijing’s intelligence apparatus could be as high as 600,000 people – more than that of all Western nations together. [source]

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