When the CIA turns to YouTube to recruit spies in China
A new video has been released by the CIA with the aim of recruiting new spies from among Chinese officers.
The video, released Thursday on YouTube and other platforms, tells a Hollywood-style story about a Chinese military officer who coacts the CIA after becoming frustrated with “corruption” in the Chinese military.
The video shows a disillusioned mid-ranking Chinese military officer just weeks after Zhang Yuxia, the deputy head of the Ceral Military Commission, was fired.
A similar video last year targeted political operatives in Beijing, and like the previous video, the new video includes links to information on how to safely coact the CIA.
“We will respond decisively”
In response, China pledged to take “all necessary measures” against foreign espionage activities.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Friday: “We will take all necessary measures to resolutely deal with the irusive and subversive activities of foreign forces hostile to China, and protect our national sovereigy, security and developme ierests.”
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the United States also condemned what he called “blata political inciteme” by the organization.
Last moh, China’s Defense Ministry announced that Zhang, who is second only to Preside Xi Jinping and vice chairman of the Ceral Military Commission, was under investigation.
This is the most importa dismissal of a high-ranking Chinese military officer in rece decades. The CIA conducted a similar effort in May, targeting fictitious figures in China’s ruling Communist Party.
That video included detailed instructions in Chinese on how to securely communicate with US ielligence.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a stateme that his agency will coinue its efforts to recruit ages from within the ranks of the Chinese governme and military.
The CIA director added that the agency’s videos have reached many Chinese citizens and that the CIA will coinue to offer Chinese governme officials “an opportunity to work together for a brighter future.”
The short video, released by the agency on its YouTube channel, appears to be aimed at exploiting the domestic political fallout from Beijing’s years-long campaign to root out military corruption that has affected senior PLA leaders, with the exception of Zhang, according to Reuters.
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