Social media campaign depicts fictional scenarios of officials disillusioned with the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
The CIA has initiated a Chinese-language social media campaign that urges government officials in China to defect and provide confidential information to the United States.
Two videos released on Thursday portray fictional situations where Chinese officials, who have grown disillusioned with the ruling Communist Party of China (CCP), turn to the top intelligence agency for help.
In one of the videos, an actor playing a senior CCP member articulates the fear he feels for his family as he observes colleagues being dismissed and treated as mere “worn-out shoes.”
“This individual, who has tirelessly worked his way to prominence, now acutely realizes that regardless of his position, it remains inadequate to protect his family during these tumultuous and uncertain times,” states a Chinese-language description of the video on YouTube.
“He yearns to gain control over his fate and identify a way to ensure the safety of his family and the accomplishments he has earned through years of arduous work. Conscious that everything he possesses could be easily taken away, he feels compelled to make a challenging yet vital decision to reach out to the CIA securely.”
The videos, which were shared on platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, Instagram, and X, provide instructions on how to “safely” and “securely” establish contact with the CIA, including utilizing the dark web browser Tor.
“One of the primary purposes of the CIA is to gather intelligence for the president and our policymakers,” CIA director John Ratcliffe stated in an interview with Fox News.
“One of the methods we employ is recruiting assets that can aid us in acquiring secrets.”
China’s embassy in Washington has not yet responded to requests for comments.
Desmond Shum, a UK-based Chinese property mogul turned dissident, characterized the CIA campaign as the agency’s most “aggressive public action” against China in recent memory.
“This manner of public engagement is precisely the sort of incitement that infuriates the CCP – and Xi Jinping personally,” Shum commented on X, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“His fixation on lifetime rule emanates from a singular aim: to preserve the Party’s unassailable dominance over China.”
