The CIA has released a new Mandarin-language recruitment video aimed at Chinese military officers, featuring a fictional People’s Liberation Army officer who fights against a corrupt leadership and eventually chooses to liaise with the US intelligence agency.
The video is the latest installment in a public-facing recruitment campaign ChinaCIA Director John Ratcliffe described it as the agency’s intelligence breakthrough amid what he called a “generational competition” with Beijing.
In the short film, the central character watches as professional officers are removed and replaced by political loyalists with no military credentials. Troubled by what she sees as corruption, and worried about the impact on her young family, the officer decides to reach out to the CIA.
“The protagonist’s struggle represents the widely shared knowledge and values of those working in the PLA,” a CIA official told CBS News, referring to the People’s Liberation Army. The video is intended to highlight what the agency describes as a growing gap “between Chinese officials who want the best for their bank accounts and Chinese citizens who want the best for their country.”
The campaign is not aimed at the Chinese President Xi Jinping personally, the official said, but for people inside China who “may be very concerned about where their country is headed but feel powerless to do anything about it.”
After the video was released, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing on Friday that China would take “all necessary measures” against foreign espionage activities.
“China will take all necessary measures to resolutely fight the infiltration and destruction of foreign forces against China and resolutely protect the country’s sovereignty, security and development,” he said.
In a statement, Ratcliffe said the CIA intends to build on the reach of its previous efforts.
“Last year, the CIA’s Mandarin video campaign reached many citizens of China, and we know that many are looking for a way to improve their lives and change their country for the better,” Ratcliffe said. “We will continue to give Chinese government officials and citizens the opportunity to work for a brighter future together.”
The agency declined to provide specific metrics but said its previous Mandarin-language videos “reached millions of people and inspired new sources.” The CIA has seen “many people with knowledge about China offering their services and information through our website on the dark web,” the official said, adding: “If the videos didn’t work, we wouldn’t release more videos.”
The new video, like its predecessors, also includes safety practice guidelines. Its final screen displays instructions in Mandarin on how to securely contact the CIA.
Although major American social networks are blocked in China, the agency believes its content can still be broadcast. “Their wall is not perfect,” the official said, referring to Beijing’s so-called Great Firewall.
The campaign comes amid a high-level leadership shakeup within the PLA, including the removal of several military officers in recent months. A CIA official declined to draw a direct connection but suggested the similarities were striking. “The question you have to ask yourself is, is art imitating life or is life imitating art?” said the officer.
China has long been identified by American intelligence leaders as a strategic challenge facing the United States. Ratcliffe has publicly stated that China represents the CIA’s “intelligence flagship” and that the agency must provide a “major intelligence advantage” in competition with Beijing.
Public recruitment campaigns represent a commercial revolution for the organization, which in recent years has increasingly used online cinema videos to reach audiences within rival states, including Russia and Iran.
