On May 1st, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States made an unprecedented move by releasing two Mandarin-language videos aimed at recruiting dissatisfied high-ranking and grassroots Chinese Communist Party officials. This open recruitment strategy serves not only to gather intelligence but also as a form of psychological warfare, intensifying the suspicion and vigilance among top CCP officials, potentially leading to internal power struggles, miscalculations, defections, and divisions.
Thursday, May 1st, saw the CIA releasing two Hollywood-style videos targeting disgruntled high-ranking and grassroots CCP officials, inviting them to assist the United States in intelligence operations.
These videos are currently available on the CIA’s social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Telegram, Instagram, and X.
The first video is directed at senior CCP leaders who American intelligence officers believe may be willing to engage in dialogue. The Mandarin voiceover in the video states, “I am not a coward, but I am starting to hear whispers among the crowd.”
“In the party, as I climb up, I see higher-ranking officials being discarded one by one like worn-out shoes. Now, I realize that my fate is equally precarious,” and “A person disappearing out of thin air is all too common.”
“My biggest concern is my family’s fate is tied to my future. I must prepare for an exit,” the voiceover continues, saying, “My family’s fate should not be controlled by them.”
“Sooner or later, the whispers around me will grow louder, and shadows in the distance will draw closer, but perhaps there is another way,” the video concludes, telling viewers, “Your fate is in your hands.”
The video ends with the senior official contacting the CIA using a tablet.
The second video targets grassroots CCP officials, depicting a young CCP official respectfully accompanying a senior official trying on a new suit and choosing an expensive watch, as well as engaging in self-criticism during a meeting.
The voiceover in the video states, “It is said that we build dreams in life, but unfortunately, I am building dreams for others. In this dream, I cannot decide the outcome. My fate is controlled by others.”
“A well-known secret is: leaders often claim to want the people to live better lives, but the reality is quite different. People work hard all their lives, just hoping to secure a position and live steadily. Now, this simple goal of life seems out of reach. I just want to live peacefully. Is that too much to ask?”
The voiceover also says, “What used to be a shared sky has now become a privilege of the few.”
At the end of the video is the message, “Heaven helps those who help themselves; fate is in your hands.”
CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated in a release, “Today, the Central Intelligence Agency released Mandarin videos aimed at recruiting Chinese (CCP) officials to steal secrets.”
He said, “In our country’s history, no adversary poses a greater challenge or a more powerful strategic competitor than the Chinese Communist Party.” He added, “Our agencies must continue to address this threat with urgency, creativity, and courage, and these videos are just one way we are doing so.”
Ratcliffe believes these videos can break through the “Great Firewall of China” and be seen by relevant individuals on the Chinese mainland.
An official told Reuters, “If this is not effective, we will not continue making more videos.” He added that in this “truly generational competition” between the US and China, the CCP is the primary intelligence target for the CIA.
Since the CCP’s new amendment to the “Counter-Espionage Law” in April 2023, the CCP National Security Department has launched a wave of “anti-spy” campaigns, raiding American consulting companies. Subsequently, the US arrested two Chinese-American naval sailors who passed military secrets to Beijing, escalating US-China espionage warfare.
After 2024, the CCP National Security Department intensified the use of multimedia propaganda such as comics, videos, animations, documentaries, and launched videos on “Top Ten Anti-Espionage Cases.”
CNN reported that the latest videos released by the CIA are much more sophisticated than last year’s. Each video is over 2 minutes long, adopting a mini-movie style with tight plots, rich voiceovers, and suspenseful background music.
The production quality of the CIA recruitment videos this time is exquisite, and the direct targeting of CCP officials for defection carries significant implications, particularly against the backdrop of intense US-China tariff disputes.
Dennis Wilder, former Chief China Analyst at the CIA, told the Financial Times, “These recruitment videos are unprecedented for the CIA’s operations in China.”
He stated that these videos attempt to leverage concerns among CCP leaders over Xi Jinping’s campaign to purge officials, including the high-profile purges within the military by the CCP authorities.
Last year, the CIA sought to recruit more Chinese citizens as agents due to growing dissatisfaction with Xi Jinping’s regime. During that time, the CIA released a Mandarin text-only video explaining how to securely contact the CIA using the “dark web” (a part of the internet that can only be accessed using specialized software). CIA officials noted that the video had received 900,000 views.
David Cohen, Deputy Director of the CIA, said many individuals have access to information but do not support the direction in which the CCP leader is taking the country, “These individuals understand that collaborating with us can help their own country.”
Shen Dong, former Chinese businessman and author of “Red Roulette,” residing in the UK, expressed on X platform that under Xi’s leadership, “talking politics” has become a core pillar, with loyalty to the party now overshadowing professional competence. Against this backdrop, the CIA’s public call for internal CCP personnel to defect strikes at the heart of CCP’s fear of internal betrayal, sending a stronger message than any tariff disputes.
Yao Yuan, a professor of international studies at St. Thomas University in the United States, told Epoch Times that generally, recruiting spies is not done publicly. By intentionally publicizing this recruitment initiative, the CIA is deliberately sending a signal that perhaps some CCP officials are very willing to cooperate with them.
He said, “Perhaps by spreading this kind of message, they are trying to find a breakthrough within the CCP regime. It mainly corresponds to the escalating tensions in US-China competition, leading to such messages being put forward.”
Tang Hao, a news commentator and host of “Crossroads of the World,” believes that the CIA’s public defection campaign is a clever form of psychological warfare that will inevitably increase suspicion and mutual vigilance among CCP high-ranking officials, leading to more internal power struggles, miscalculations, defections, and divisions.
Jiang Feng, a media person, wrote on X platform, “This move is a hundred times more powerful than talking about Western values’ harm, as it directly penetrates the hearts of senior CCP officials: ‘You are not disloyal, you are just afraid of death.'”
Wang Hao from Taiwan wrote on X platform, “Recently, there have been many dismissals and disappearances among top CCP and military officials, causing widespread anxiety. The CIA’s public defection call at this time is unusual; it seems intentionally designed to intensify internal suspicion within the CCP, and Xi Jinping will be more suspicious of high-ranking officials and secretaries.”
Shen Mingshi, a researcher at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Studies, told Epoch Times that the CIA’s release of the recruitment videos targeting CCP officials indicates that the CIA also understands the fears within the CCP, where every party official, from governmental officials to military generals, may fear becoming the next target of purges. Especially officials from different factions within the party and generals who have been associated with Miao Hua in the past.
“Of course, it reflects that the CIA believes that the current situation within mainland China favors them in recruiting such individuals.”
Shen Mingshi explained that Xi Jinping’s biggest problem is the lack of personal talent but still needs to lead the country like Mao Zedong. Whether it is a high-ranking CCP official or a grassroots official, if they cannot see a future perspective and feel that a long-term confrontation with the United States cannot be won, the best choice they see is for Xi Jinping to step down or to have contact with the United States.
Yao Yuan stated that if there is indeed a split within the party, the CIA will find it relatively easy to recruit these high-ranking officials. “In China, there is no real sense of personal security; no matter how high-ranking you are, there is no legal protection. Today, if the CCP regards you as a political enemy, they can easily label you and arrest you.”
Du Wen, former chief of the Inner Mongolia Government Legal Counsel’s Office, told Epoch Times that the current high-profile release of recruitment videos by the United States has two connotations.
One meaning is indeed out of the country’s national security needs. Because the CCP’s current thinking towards the United States has changed, it is completely warlike, apart from the Korean War aiding the US, it has never been so intensive. The United States genuinely needs a comprehensive understanding to address the lack of knowledge about the CCP.
The second is the psychological warfare factor. In the context of the escalating US-China trade war, there is a mental battle among high-level officials between China and the US, searching for each other’s vulnerabilities.
Du Wen said the US assesses that internally, the CCP is in a highly unstable state due to the enormous pressure from anti-corruption efforts. Even if the CCP officials are sheep, they are still afraid of each other, with so many people being arrested and sentenced, experiencing personal and family ruins—a state of panic.
“The CIA is making use of the fear effects generated by the CCP’s internal purges to carry out this operation,” he said.
Du Wen stated, “If the CIA can properly relocate the family members of these high-ranking officials now, I believe a large group of high-ranking officials will come to surrender. This is unquestionable because I understand too well that they are eager to come out, but they cannot. How they can safely leave is a big question, with technical challenges, safety challenges in leaving, and information transfer challenges.”
Amidst the tug-of-war between the US and China on multiple fronts, CCP officials find themselves in a dilemma of choosing sides. In this aspect, the US holds the trump card.
Yao Yuan mentioned that a widely circulated saying in mainland China is: “Antagonizing the US is for work, leaving the US is for life.” In fact, despite outwardly claiming the US as an adversary within the CCP, many still prefer to keep their wealth and children in the US or other countries.
“When one’s biggest weakness lies in their own children, wealth, and when your children and assets are in the US, you expose your own soft spot. When the US seizes your vulnerability, you are likely to provide all the necessary intelligence or everything they need,” he said.
Additionally, many individuals, due to despair with the CCP system, stand for national righteousness, the country’s future, or universal values of freedom and democracy, believing that some of China’s hidden secrets should be brought to light.
Huang Pengxiao, a senior political and military commentator in Taiwan with national security experience, told Epoch Times previously, “The CCP has a very significant weakness, essentially providing the US with a convenient gateway for intelligence penetration. Unlike any other country globally, all top officials of the CCP, wealthy children, and wealth have moved to the US or other countries.”
“The biggest vulnerability of people lies in their own children, wealth, and when children and assets are in the US, you expose your soft spot. When the US strikes a chord with your weakness, it is very likely that they will obtain whatever intelligence they need,” he said.
Huang further believes that many people may wish to expose some of China’s unseen secrets due to despair over the CCP system, standing for national righteousness, the country’s future, or universal values of freedom and democracy.