China has criticised the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) over its recent social media campaign aimed at recruiting Chinese nationals, calling the effort “absurd” and a sign of American “paranoia.”
The Ministry of State Security (MSS), China’s top intelligence agency, issued a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, June 25, ridiculing the CIA’s attempt to attract Chinese citizens through videos posted on X, formerly Twitter. The MSS described the campaign as a “clumsy” and “laughable” strategy akin to amateur propaganda.
“These carefully prepared ‘job advertisements,’ filled with awkward language and slanderous accusations, expose the delusional mindset and flawed reasoning of American intelligence agencies,” the ministry posted on its official WeChat channel.
“The so-called ‘top intelligence power’ has once again embarrassed itself on the world stage with this display of ineptitude,” it continued.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said last month that the videos were part of an effort to persuade Chinese officials to pass on sensitive information to the United States. China immediately condemned the campaign at the time, calling it a “blatant act of political provocation.”
On Wednesday, the MSS doubled down, pledging to defend China’s strategic interests and warning that attempts to stir internal dissent or collect intelligence would be futile.
“Any effort to encourage betrayal among the Chinese people is bound to fail. Any plot to infiltrate our country for espionage purposes will lead nowhere,” the ministry said.
The MSS statement quickly gained traction on China’s domestic social media platform Weibo, where users mocked the CIA’s supposed recruitment drive. One popular post read, “Shall we start a telecom scam ring to trick the CIA and earn some money?”
Tensions over alleged spying have long simmered between Washington and Beijing. In April, Chinese officials claimed to have uncovered three American “secret agents” involved in cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games held in Harbin in February.
Earlier in March, the MSS revealed that a former Chinese engineer had been sentenced to death for passing classified information to a foreign government.
