On February 12, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States launched a new counter-propaganda advertisement targeting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on social media platforms like X and YouTube. The ad, titled “Saving the Future,” was released.
The professionally produced video, in Mandarin with Chinese subtitles, tells the story of a fictional disillusioned CCP military officer who witnesses the regime’s foundation on lies. Now, as these “madmen’s” lies begin to collapse, he, driven by his personal belief in “defending the people, safeguarding the motherland,” passes intelligence to the CIA.
The Chinese text below the CIA’s YouTube channel reads, “The information you possess may be more valuable than you think,” and “Protecting all those who cooperate with us around the world is our professional duty.”
On X platform, the video garnered nearly 400,000 views in over a day. Many users left comments such as, “Serving the CIA is a once-in-a-lifetime honor,” and “Please save the innocent Chinese people and quickly eliminate the Chinese Communist Party!”
Released less than a month after Zhang Yuxia’s downfall, the video directly alludes to the destabilization within the military ranks post-Zhang’s arrest and the anxiety in the CCP’s top echelons. A CIA official hinted at this connection, musing whether this is art imitating life or life imitating art.
Despite being less than two minutes and 300 words long, the entire video strikes at the CCP’s current vulnerabilities: “Power is built on countless lies,” “Anyone with leadership abilities is bound to be feared and ruthlessly suppressed,” “I cannot let these madmen shape the future world for my daughter,” “These people who haven’t seen war are eagerly pushing us into battlefields.”
Taiwanese defense analyst Shen Mingshu pointed out that the advertisement was clearly crafted in light of Zhang Yuxia’s arrest and the current internal changes within the CCP military, officers’ inner conflicts, and the cross-strait situation.
He analyzed that the counter-propaganda targets those who are fed up with power struggles and the directionless individuals within the military who harbour hopes of making a difference. Amid conflicts within the CCP, where loyalty and party affiliation often overshadow professionalism, it causes distress among professional military personnel. The risk of conflict, particularly in the Taiwan Strait, is high, especially if the United States intervenes.
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