An actor playing a young Chinese Communist Party official contacts the CIA via mobile phone in a Mandarin-language intelligence recruitment video released by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency on May 1. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released a pair of Chinese Mandarin-language
videos on YouTube
On May 1st, with the intention of enlisting support from within the Chinese government by depicting CCP officials as feeling disenchanted and fearful.
One of the videos, which runs 2 minutes and 27 seconds, opens with the voice of a narrator reflecting on the promises of the party.
“They told us that if we followed the path our leaders had shown us, the future would be bright. But now, this world that was meant to be shared by all belongs to a privileged few,” the narrator says, as the camera shows a young party member covering his sleeping wife with a blanket after returning home late from work.
The video concludes with a significant twist. Worried about his loved ones’ wellbeing, the middle-ranking officer reaches out to the CIA through a confidential telephone connection.
A second video depicts the arrest and removal of a high-ranking official by the party’s disciplinary commission without any explanation. In one scene, a restaurant worker clears dishes from a table left suddenly vacant.
“It’s not uncommon for people to just disappear,” the narrator says.
I’ve seen individuals rise through the ranks of the party, but they’re eventually cast aside one by one,” the narrator goes on. “This has led me to believe that my destiny might not be very different.
Each video highlights a profound sense of fear and disenchantment within the ranks of the CCP elite, depicting some as possible informers to the CIA. By Wednesday, these videos had attracted 170,000 and 140,000 views each.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe is set to conduct a TV interview at the White House on April 30, 2025, in Washington. [AP/YONHAP]
According to The New York Times, the videos reflect efforts by CIA Director John Ratclffe to bolster intelligence-gathering efforts on China. Previous CIA leaders had said the videos help develop new sources.
In October last year, the CIA distributed instructions in Chinese, Russian and Korean dialects on how to securely contact the agency, directing viewers to a safe channel on the dark web that does not reveal user information.
U.S. officials informed The New York Times that even though China has restrictions and censorship on the internet, government officials there know how to bypass these measures.
Ratcliffe said the new videos are part of a campaign to recruit Chinese officials with access to state secrets.
“Our agency must continue responding to this threat with urgency, creativity and grit, and these videos are just one of the ways we are doing this,” he said in a statement.
China responded with strong condemnation.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing on May 6 that the CIA’s videos were “yet another clear confession,” accusing the United States of maliciously defaming China and openly enticing defections.
“China will take all necessary measures to firmly strike at infiltration and sabotage activities by anti-China forces abroad,” Lin said, “and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.”
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY SHIN KYUNG-JIN [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]
