CIA Steps Up Effort to Recruit Chinese Military Officers

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has intensified its push to recruit informants within China’s military ranks, unveiling a new public video campaign just weeks after Beijing announced an investigation into one of its top generals.

New Video Targets Military Discontent

The latest CIA video, posted online, depicts a fictional mid-level officer in the People’s Liberation Army expressing frustration and mistrust toward senior leadership. Delivered in Mandarin, the message portrays internal power struggles and corruption as reasons for disillusionment, implicitly encouraging cooperation with U.S. intelligence.

The campaign represents the agency’s newest step in expanding human intelligence collection focused on China, Washington’s top strategic rival.

Context of Military Shake-Up in China

The effort follows China’s announcement last month that Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and one of President Xi Jinping’s closest military allies, was under investigation. The move marked one of the most significant removals of a senior Chinese military leader in decades.

U.S. officials view the investigation as part of a broader anti-corruption drive that has unsettled the upper ranks of the PLA and may have created internal divisions.

CIA Cites Reach Beyond China’s Firewall

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said earlier campaigns had reached large audiences inside China and that the agency would continue offering Chinese officials what he described as an opportunity to “work toward a brighter future together.”

According to U.S. officials, the agency believes the videos are successfully bypassing China’s internet controls and reaching their intended audience. A CIA official said previous efforts generated new sources, though no details were provided.

Long-Term Intelligence Focus on China

The CIA has been rebuilding its intelligence capabilities in China after suffering major setbacks more than a decade ago, when Beijing dismantled much of the U.S. spy network through arrests and executions of alleged informants.

Recent investments and public-facing recruitment efforts reflect Washington’s broader priority of strengthening intelligence coverage on China’s political and military decision-making as competition between the two powers deepens.