Spies for China

You could have one spy steal ten thousand documents, or you could have 10,000 spies steal one document. China chooses the latter. Joshua Phillipp writes:

The challenge posed by China comes down to a simple fact: it has too many spies for foreign intelligence agencies to keep track of.

According to sources, the grooming process typically takes place before the students leave to study abroad. They may get approached by Chinese security officials who remind them to remain loyal to the motherland, and ask them to report back with anything that could benefit China.

For them, spying is often viewed as a matter of patriotic duty.

Williams said the approach typically works because the Chinese spy agencies don’t ask the students for much. The individual contribution, he noted, is often so minuscule that many may not even think of what they’re doing as espionage.

The spies are not only used for stealing information, however. They’re also used to keep tabs on individuals critical of the Chinese regime.

In April, the FBI started a public information campaign warning U.S. students traveling abroad to be wary of intelligence networks interested in recruiting them as spies.

As the FBI pointed out in its educational materials, students studying abroad are prime candidates for positions in government and in large companies. The intelligence agents of China and other nations target students for this reason.

Read more here.