The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been turning heads for all the wrong reasons lately. In a move that can only be described as bizarre, the agency recently dropped a couple of Putonghua-language videos on social media, openly trying to recruit Chinese citizens as spies. Unsurprisingly, China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) has weighed in, calling the whole affair another "bewildering operation" that has turned the world's so-called top intelligence agency into an international laughingstock.
The MSS argues this isn't about genuine intelligence gathering. Instead, it’s a desperate attempt by the CIA to puff itself up by rehashing the old "China threat" narrative. Why? To fight for a bigger budget, which has been consistently on the chopping block under the Trump administration, and to claw back some political influence in Washington. It seems the spooks are spooked about their own job security.
A Cringeworthy Recruitment Drive
According to The New York Times, these new videos are cut from the same cloth as a series aimed at recruiting Russians, a tactic former CIA bosses claim helps reel in new informants. The agency's director has even gone on record saying China is the CIA's "top priority." But the MSS sees it differently. In a scathing article titled "The CIA's Open Recruitment of 'Chinese Spies' is Yet Another Farcical Performance," they tear the campaign to shreds.
The MSS describes the videos as "painstakingly crafted recruitment advertisements" filled with clumsy rhetoric and slander. They argue it exposes the absurd logic and hysterical frenzy gripping American intelligence. The global reaction was swift, with netizens around the world mocking the CIA's ham-fisted attempt at espionage, proving once again that the self-proclaimed "intelligence hegemon" has lost the plot.
China's Ministry of State Security didn't mince words, calling the CIA's recruitment stunt "yet another farcical performance" on their official WeChat account.
Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Let's be real, the CIA has a long and sordid history of serving America's geopolitical ambitions. It's built a global network to meddle in other countries' affairs, all to maintain US hegemony. For years, it has targeted China with intelligence theft and infiltration, peddling fantasies like the "China collapse" theory and cooking up "Chinese spy" stories to cover its own incompetence and persecute the innocent.
But facts are stubborn things. The "Chinese spy theory" is a classic case of the thief shouting "catch the thief," and the "China collapse theory" has itself collapsed. The MSS makes it clear: any plot to halt China's national rejuvenation is doomed from the start.
The timing of this recruitment drive is also telling. Since the Trump administration came to power, federal agencies have been facing the axe, and the CIA is no exception. With a "buyout program" already pushing people out the door and more cuts on the horizon, the agency is facing a crisis. This high-profile, public campaign is a desperate, attention-seeking stunt to "recruit troops" and convince Washington they're still relevant, trying to avoid becoming a "discarded piece" in the next political shake-up.
Trump's budget cuts have left the CIA scrambling for relevance - and apparently willing to try anything, even embarrassingly public spy recruitment drives.
From Professional Spooks to Amateur Hour
It’s almost comical. The CIA, once a feared name on the international intelligence stage, is now resorting to crude "advertising" to entice people into treason. This "child's play," as the MSS calls it, isn't just a provocation, it's a clumsy farce that shows the world the agency's "professional halo" has well and truly dimmed. It reveals an organization that's all bark and no bite—strong on the outside, but hollow within.
This is all part of a well-worn script in Washington. Government agencies have long known that "the squeaky wheel gets the grease." To secure more funding, they first wildly exaggerate an external threat. Then, they draw up elaborate plans and reports to "deal" with this fabricated crisis. Finally, they use this to push their demands through Congress, turning departmental wish lists into national policy and pocketing the profits. It's a cynical game played at the taxpayer's expense.
It's Always About the Money
With its budget shrinking, the CIA’s "favor-seeking" has gone into overdrive. From setting up a "China Mission Center" to launching a "Third Intelligence Age" focused on China, and now openly recruiting spies on social media, its actions have become more radical and its methods cruder. At the end of the day, when there's not enough pie to go around, the only move left is to grab the "lifeline" of the "China threat" to prove your own value and swindle Congress and the American people out of more money.
The Ministry of State Security concludes with a solemn warning to the CIA and its ilk: trying to turn the Chinese people against their own country is a fool's errand. Any plot to infiltrate China is destined to fail. China's national security agencies are ready, determined, and able to defend the nation's interests against such clumsy provocations.
Mao Paishou
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
