State security ministry denounces CIA's recruitment of 'Chinese spies'

The Ministry of State Security on Wednesday blasted the CIA's attempts to recruit Chinese spies, calling them "farcical" and a sign of the United States spy agency's "baffling incompetence".

The CIA launched a drive to recruit informants in China, Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in October 2024. This included posting messages on the CIA's social media accounts in Mandarin, Farsi and Korean with instructions on how to securely contact the agency. They also released Chinese-language videos aimed at recruiting Chinese citizens in May this year.

In a strongly-worded statement published on its official WeChat account on Wednesday, the ministry said the CIA's public recruitment drive was "a desperate gambit born of exhausted tricks" and a "childish maneuver" aimed at disguising intelligence failures. It warned that any attempt to infiltrate China or incite defections among its citizens is "doomed to fail".

In its statement, the ministry accused the CIA of long engaging in subversion and intelligence-gathering in the spheres of politics, the economy, technology and military affairs, calling the agency "a notorious enemy of the international community".

"The CIA has severely violated the fundamental norms of international relations, and undermined international order and trust," the report stated.

The national security agency said that recent years have seen the "fatal destruction" of the CIA's intelligence network in the country, citing what it called "strong crackdowns" by security forces and cooperation from the public.

It also referenced staffing cuts at the CIA following the Trump administration's push to reduce federal agency personnel, noting that the agency "faced sudden layoffs in February", with further reductions expected.

The ministry dismissed the CIA's public recruitment efforts as an attention-seeking spectacle designed to mask its own setbacks. It said US agencies "exaggerate external threats" to justify their existence and secure more resources, often concealing ulterior motives for institutional or personal gain.

The CIA has "resorted to crude tactics" such as public ads to entice foreign nationals to commit treason, the article said, adding that such efforts are both "laughable and absurd".

China's security authorities will remain resolute in defending the country's core interests and state secrets, the ministry said, pledging "strong determination, unwavering will and formidable capabilities" to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.