New CIA videos aim to lure Chinese officials
By Michael Martina
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA on Thursday rolled out two Chinese-language videos aimed at enticing officials in China to leak secrets to the U.S., the latest public effort by the intelligence agency to ramp up human intelligence gathering on Washington's strategic rival.
The move comes after the CIA in October launched a drive to recruit new informants in China, Iran and North Korea by posting instructions online on how to securely contact the agency, following what it said was successful efforts to enlist Russians.
The CIA is confident that the videos are penetrating China's "Great Firewall" internet restrictions and reaching the intended audience.
"If it weren't working, we wouldn't be making more videos," a CIA official told Reuters, adding that China was the agency's foremost intelligence priority in a "truly generational competition" between the U.S. and China.
The two videos posted to the CIA's social media accounts depict fictional scenes in which a senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official and a more junior government worker with access to classified information become disillusioned with China's system and approach the CIA.
The CIA official said that the U.S. was not just interested in counterintelligence, but was also seeking information on advanced science, military and cyber technology, valuable economic data, and China's foreign policy secrets.
China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the videos, but it has previously accused the U.S. of waging a systematic disinformation campaign against China, and said any attempts to drive a wedge between the Chinese people and the CCP would fail.
U.S. intelligence agencies said in March that China remains the top military and cyber threat to the U.S., noting that China has the ability to hit the United States with conventional weapons, compromise U.S. infrastructure through cyber attacks and target its assets in space, and that Beijing seeks to displace the U.S. as the top AI power by 2030.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
China Issues Warning Over US Bombing of Iran
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. China accused the U.S. of violating the United Nations charter with its strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and warned all parties involved in the conflict to prevent any further escalation. "The U.S. attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities seriously violate the purposes and principles of the UN charter and has exacerbated tensions in the Middle East. The UN Security Council cannot sit idly by," said Lin Jian, spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, at a press briefing on Monday, June 23. Lin said China, Russia, and Pakistan proposed a draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling for an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire". "Together, we sent out the message of justice that reflects the strong call from the international community," Lin said. "We hope council members can jointly support the draft resolution and enable the Security Council to play its role for the maintenance of international peace and security." Lin added that "China urges parties to the conflict to prevent the escalation of the situation" and said Beijing is "willing to work with well-meaning sides to enhance communication and coordination and play a constructive role in restoring peace in the Middle East." This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
CNBC
3 hours ago
- CNBC
How the Israel-Iran standoff took a turn and what's next after a pivotal 24 hours
The past 24 hours have been pivotal in the Israel-Iran conflict, with the U.S. entering the war — a move that has left investors and world leaders on edge. On Saturday night, American B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and submarines struck three of Iran's most critical nuclear sites: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. The strikes represented the first direct action that the U.S. had taken against Iran since the country was hit by Israeli attacks earlier in June. Israel and Iran had been trading strikes since Israel preemptively attacked it on June 13, killing key Iranian military figures and nuclear scientists. Since then, the world has seen reactions from around the globe over the strikes, including from Iran itself, which has called the strikes "outrageous" and vowed "everlasting consequences". Iran's parliament has also voted to close the critical Strait of Hormuz, endangering energy supplies. Here's a roundup of the events since the U.S. attacks happened, and what could happen next. At 7.50 p.m. Eastern Time, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S. had conducted a "very successful attack" on the three nuclear sites, and said "NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!". About an hour later, a U.S. official told Reuters that B-2 Spirits were involved in the bombings. These bombers are believed to be the only planes which have the capability to deliver the weapons powerful enough to penetrate the underground facility at Fordo. The International Atomic Energy Agency later confirmed that all three sites were hit. Following the strikes, world leaders reactions poured in, among which was Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu who thanked Trump for the strikes, calling it a "bold decision." The IAEA released two updates after the strike, saying that Director General Rafael Grossi would call an emergency meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors to discuss the decision. The agency said it was also informed by Iranian regulatory authorities that there has been no increase in off-site radiation levels after the attacks. The UN Security Council also met on Sunday to discuss the attack, as Russia, China and Pakistan proposed that the UNSC adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East. China strongly condemned the U.S. attack on Iran and on nuclear facilities supervised by the IAEA, China's U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong said at a UNSC meeting on Sunday. While U.S. officials, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the attacks were not meant to enact regime change in the Islamic Republic, Trump himself raised the possibility of that happening. The U.S. president posted on Truth Social that "It's not politically correct to use the term, "Regime Change," but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!" Oil prices jumped more than 2% on Sunday evening, and continued to rise to just under $80 per barrel for Brent crude, and just under $75 for West Texas Intermediate crude. The rise comes after Iran's parliament backed closing the critical Strait of Hormuz, where about 20% of the world's oil transits. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has described it as the "world's most important oil transit chokepoint." However, the final decision to close the Strait lies with Iran's national security council, according to the report. The Strait currently remains open, but analysts have told CNBC that oil prices could test $100 a barrel if Iran closes the Strait and Western forces try to reopen it by force. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday had also called for China to prevent Iran from closing the Strait. China is Iran's largest oil customer, accounting for the bulk of Iranian oil exports, and maintains friendly relations with the country. The world now waits for Iran's response, after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement on X that his nation "reserves all options" in responding to the attack. "The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences," Araghchi said. Iranian deputy foreign minister Majid Takht Ravanchi told German media that the country will continue its uranium enrichment program, and that "no one can tell us what to do", according to Reuters citing Iranian media Tasnim News. Shane Oliver, chief economist and head of investment strategy at Australian bank AMP, said in a Monday note that if Iran only undertakes "a few token moves" and "surrenders unconditionally" as Trump demands, "then oil prices will quickly settle down and shares will rally."Oliver noted that this was basically what happened when the U.S. led-coalition entered the first and second Gulf Wars. However, if Iran undertakes actions such as hitting U.S. bases in the region, the U.S. is likely to retaliate and this would keep markets on edge, he added. Vandana Hari, founder of energy intelligence firm Vanda Insights, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" on Monday that the risk of closure remains "absolutely minimalistic." This is because if Iran follows through, it runs the risk of alienating its neighboring oil-producing countries and customers, including China, which accounts for the majority of Iranian oil exports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. There is "so very, very little to be achieved, and a lot of self-inflicted harm that Iran could do" if it closed the Strait, Hari said.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
US asks China to stop Iran from closing Strait of Hormuz
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on China to prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important shipping routes. His comments came after Iran's state-run Press TV reported that their parliament had approved a plan to close the Strait but added that the final decision lies with the Supreme National Security Council. Any disruption to the supply of oil would have profound consequences for the global economy. China in particular is the world's largest buyer of Iranian oil and has a close relationship with Tehran. Oil prices have surged following the US' attack, with the price of the benchmark Brent crude reaching its highest level in five months. "I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them (Iran) about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil," Marco Rubio had said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday. "If they [close the Straits]... it will be economic suicide for them. And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries' economies a lot worse than ours." Around 20% of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, with major oil and gas producers in the Middle East using the waterway to transport energy from the region. Any attempt to disrupt operations in the Strait could could send global oil prices skyrocketing. They jumped to their highest since January, with the price of Brent crude reaching $78.89 a barrel as of 23:22 GMT Sunday. "The US is now positioned with an overwhelming defence posture in the region to be prepared for any Iran counter attacks. But the risk for oil prices is the situation could escalate severely further," said Saul Kavonic, Head of Energy Research at MST Financial. The cost of crude oil affects everything from how much it costs to fill up your car to the price of food at the supermarket. China in particular buys more oil from Iran than any other nation - with its oil imports from Iran surpassing 1.8 million barrels per day last month, according to data by ship tracking firm Vortexa. Energy analyst Vandana Hari has said Iran has "little to gain and too much to lose" from closing the Strait. "Iran risks turning its oil and gas producing neighbours in the Gulf into enemies and invoking the ire of its key market China by disrupting traffic in the Strait", Hari told BBC News. The US joined the conflict between Iran and Israel over the weekend, with President Donald Trump saying Washington had "obliterated" Tehran's key nuclear sites. However, it's not clear how much damage the strikes inflicted, with the UN's nuclear watchdog saying it was unable to assess the damage at the heavily fortified Fordo underground nuclear site. Iran has said there was only minor damage to Fordo. Trump also warned Iran that they would face "far worse" future attacks if they did not abandon their nuclear programme. On Monday, Beijing said the US' attack had damaged Washington's credibility and called for an immediate ceasefire. China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong said all parties should restrain "the impulse of force... and adding fuel to the fire", according to a state-run CCTV report. In an editorial, Beijing's state newspaper Global Times also said US involvement in Iran "had further complicated and destabilized the Middle East situation" and that it was pushing the conflict to an "uncontrollable state".
