Washington DC [US] May 25 : China's primary intelligence organisation, known as the Ministry of State Security (MSS), has been classified by CBS as the largest and most active espionage agency globally, according to The Eurasian Times.
The CBS news segment painted a grim picture of Beijing's worldwide intelligence ambitions, indicating that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seeks to utilise a global network of covert operatives to observe and influence incidents outside its borders while surveilling and intimidating Chinese dissidents in the US, as reported by The Eurasian Times.
The report from CBS implies that the MSS has broadened its scope far beyond standard intelligence collection, embedding agents within academia, businesses, and even local authorities in the West.
With China's emergence as a superpower, its espionage capabilities have become more refined, targeting not only state secrets but also influencing narratives, stealing technology, and suppressing dissenters abroad, as cited in The Eurasian Times report.
"MSS's primary target isn't a foreign government, although the United States ranks a close second. Rather, its foremost focus is on the Chinese populace, particularly those who reside abroad, especially in the US," said Jim Lewis, a former US diplomat with over three decades of experience in countering Chinese intelligence, as noted by The Eurasian Times.
This view aligns with a larger trend unveiled in a recent CBS News analysis, "The Chinese Communist Party remains focused on employing a global network of covert agents to oversee and sway events beyond its borders while also surveilling and intimidating Chinese dissenters within America," as quoted in The Eurasian Times report.
The underlying mission of the MSS goes beyond conventional espionage; it aims to govern narratives, enforce loyalty, and stifle dissent within the very communities it purports to safeguard.
The strategies used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) don't solely target dissidents or defectors, but they also pose a systemic challenge to international standards and democratic sovereignty, as stated by The Eurasian Times report.
In August 2023, MI5 (the UK's intelligence agency) Director General Ken McCallum disclosed that China's MSS had approached over 20,000 UK nationals, primarily via LinkedIn, in efforts to procure confidential information, as noted by The Eurasian Times.
France's intelligence agency reported a similar occurrence in 2018 when MSS contacted 4,000 individuals through LinkedIn. In Germany, more than 10,000 citizens were allegedly targeted using the same strategy, according to The Eurasian Times report.
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