WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is ramping up efforts to combat China by recruiting Chinese citizens to spy on their own government. The recruitment efforts come in the form of a social media strategy, with a new video launched last week, entirely in Mandarin.

A step-by-step guide for Chinese nationals

The recruitment video was posted across the CIA's social media platforms and provides a detailed step-by-step guide on how people in China can anonymously contact the CIA and share information. It advises using cash to purchase a separate device, accessing public Wi-Fi, employing tools like a VPN and Tor, creating a new anonymous email, and submitting messages through the CIA's contact page. The video also instructs viewers to erase browsing traces and avoid further contact while the agency reviews the submitted information. This is the third video released by the CIA since May of 2025, specifically intended for recruitment in China.

Spike in spying

This initiative comes in response to a surge in espionage incidents linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) within the United States. A report from the House Homeland Security Committee highlighted over 60 cases of CCP-linked espionage and transnational repression across 20 states from January 2021 to February 2025. These cases involve military information leaks, trade secret theft, targeting dissidents, and obstruction of justice. Additionally, the Center for Strategic Studies reported 224 Chinese espionage incidents from 2000 to 2023, with most economic-espionage prosecutions benefiting the CCP.

The Cato Institute's 2021 study identified 1,485 spies on American soil from 1990 to 2019, involved in state and commercial espionage. State espionage aims to gain strategic advantages for foreign governments, while commercial espionage focuses on stealing business or trade secrets to benefit a country's companies economically.

New age of foreign spy recruitment

The CIA's strategy is part of a broader, more public digital-era recruitment playbook, marking a significant escalation in visibility by directly targeting Chinese citizens in their native language. Historically, U.S. intelligence agencies have sought to recruit foreign insiders, including Chinese officials, as part of human intelligence (HUMINT) operations. However, this public approach represents a new chapter in espionage recruitment.