Over the past three decades, observers have become far better at documenting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s global espionage and influence activities, from U.S. Navy sailors selling warship secrets and employment ads that presage espionage pitches to the hacking of infrastructure. Hundreds of prosecutions, intelligence assessments, cyber investigations, and indictments have revealed how Chinese intelligence officers and their collaborators recruit agents, acquire technology, conduct cyber intrusions, and pursue influence operations around the world.
The affidavits supporting these indictments are particularly detailed in the United States. Prepared by experienced FBI and other federal investigators working alongside assistant U.S. attorneys, they often provide unusually detailed, evidence-based accounts of how investigations unfolded and how suspects allegedly incriminated themselves.
This growing body of evidence has transformed our understanding of the scope and methods of Chinese intelligence operations. Nicholas Eftimiades and other researchers have compiled an extensive literature documenting Chinese espionage cases, identifying who was recruited, what was targeted, where and when operations occurred, and what patterns emerged. Their work has been indispensable in demonstrating the scale of the challenge and the economic and national security costs it imposes.
