Understanding China’s Intelligence Services

In this episode we explore how China spies. Jamestown Foundation Fellow Peter Mattis and CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies Christopher Johnson rundown China’s key civilian and military intelligence services, describe their origin story (7:59), and discuss their role in service to the Chinese Communist Party and the state (13:15). They also shed light on the tradecraft and tactics of the Ministry of State Security, Ministry of Public Security, and the People’s Liberation Army (24:02), examine China’s open-source intel gathering capabilities (31:26), analytic methods (37:06), and assess the growing professionalism in China’s intelligence services (40:10). Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Frances Burkham. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.