In a striking and highly public intelligence move, the CIA has released two new Mandarin-language videos designed to recruit Chinese nationals to spy for the United States. The videos, produced in a cinematic style and posted across multiple social media platforms, target disillusioned members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), urging them to hand over secrets in exchange for safety, security, and a better future for their families.

The campaign marks an aggressive expansion of the CIA’s strategy to counter what Director John Ratcliffe calls the “most formidable challenge” the U.S. has ever faced.

A New Kind of Spy Recruitment

The videos, each approximately three minutes long, are available on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and X (formerly Twitter). They are aimed directly at Chinese government insiders who may be growing frustrated with the political system and corruption within the party.

One video follows a mid-level CCP official who serves a higher-ranking superior, watching as that leader enjoys luxury and privilege while those beneath him struggle. “The party raised us to believe that our dedication to the path they lead us on would bring prosperity to us all,” the narrator says solemnly. “But the gains of our collective efforts are indulged by a select few. So, I must forge my own path.”

The video concludes with the official using a secure method to contact the CIA.

The second video targets senior party members who are haunted by the fear of being purged or imprisoned. The narrator reflects on how he climbed the party ranks, only to see colleagues disappear without explanation. “I see my position rise within the party as those above me are cast aside,” he says. “But now I realize that my fate is just as precarious.” The video ends with the official choosing to protect his family by reaching out to the CIA, stating, “My purpose remains the same. Only my path has changed. No matter what my fate may bring, my family will know a good life.”

Why the CIA Is Targeting China

According to CIA Director John Ratcliffe, this latest campaign reflects the agency’s top intelligence priority. “No adversary in the history of our nation has presented a more formidable challenge or a more capable strategic competitor than the Chinese Communist Party,” he wrote in a memo to CIA personnel. “It is intent on dominating the world economically, militarily and technologically, and it is aggressively trying to outcompete America in every corner of the globe.”

Ratcliffe told Fox News that these recruitment videos are part of a broader effort to “steal secrets” from China and are meant to bring forward individuals who are willing to share critical information. “This video explains to them how they can contact the CIA through our dark website and have an ability to improve their safety and well-being and that of their family,” he explained.

A CIA official speaking to Reuters said the agency would not have produced the new videos unless earlier efforts had proven effective. Last year, a text-based instructional video in Mandarin that showed Chinese viewers how to securely contact the CIA on the dark web was watched more than 900,000 times. “If it weren’t working, we wouldn’t be making more videos,” the official stated.

A Multi-Layered Strategy

The agency’s current efforts go far beyond political gossip. According to CIA officials, they are seeking intelligence on military technology, cyber capabilities, economic strategies, and internal CCP politics. The goal is to develop reliable sources inside China who can deliver high-level intelligence on everything from artificial intelligence research to satellite capabilities.

The videos also illustrate the CIA’s evolving recruitment playbook, which was previously used to target Russian officials after the invasion of Ukraine. That campaign is believed to have yielded several valuable informants. By using emotional storytelling and moral appeals, the agency hopes to connect with Chinese officials who feel trapped in a rigid and corrupt hierarchy.

The recruitment drive launched in October 2024 specifically named China, Iran, and North Korea as top targets. “We are in a truly generational competition,” one CIA official told reporters.

China’s Silence and Previous Tactics

The Chinese government has not issued an official response to the new recruitment videos. However, in the past, Beijing has accused the United States of conducting a “systematic disinformation campaign” designed to destabilize the Chinese Communist Party and turn citizens against it. The Chinese embassy in Washington declined to comment on the videos.

Despite censorship efforts and the “Great Firewall” that blocks many Western platforms, U.S. officials believe Chinese citizens—especially those with access to classified information—can find ways to view the content. “Ratcliffe is confident the videos will get past ‘The Great Firewall of China’ and be seen by the right people in mainland China,” reported Fox News.

A Tense Espionage Battlefield

While the CIA is trying to recruit Chinese officials, China is also reportedly targeting American federal employees. A CNN report from March 2025 revealed that Chinese and Russian intelligence services are actively recruiting U.S. federal workers who were recently laid off or fear losing their jobs.

Holden Triplett, a former FBI attaché in Beijing and Moscow, said this creates a high-risk situation. “Employees that feel they have been mistreated by an employer have historically been much more likely to disclose sensitive information,” he said. “We may be creating, albeit somewhat unintentionally, the perfect recruitment environment.”

The report cited examples of foreign recruiters using platforms like LinkedIn, TikTok, and Reddit to connect with former federal employees. Fake job ads and phishing schemes are becoming common tactics.

According to the Pentagon, over 5,000 probationary employees could be terminated, and more than 20 CIA officers—many from diversity initiatives—have already been let go. Some are now challenging their dismissals in court. Meanwhile, a serious internal error recently exposed CIA personnel names in an unclassified email, further increasing the risk of these individuals being targeted by foreign intelligence.

The CIA’s public outreach to Chinese nationals is just one part of a much larger intelligence war playing out behind the scenes. As the U.S. government seeks to prevent internal leaks and recover its edge in intelligence gathering, it is also broadcasting its message globally: disillusioned officials in adversarial regimes now have a way out.

“Our agency must continue responding to this threat with urgency, creativity, and grit,” Ratcliffe stated. “These videos are just one of the ways we are doing this.”

ACZ Editor: There is a Presidential Directive that any propaganda by the CIA never be in a position to influence the public. Any such influence is considered to be “covert action” and must be approved at the highest level, to avoid having the U.S. government in a position to secrety attempt to influence the American people.

But this effort is different, because they are openly produced by the CIA. It is an interesting strategy and I am betting that there are covert components to it.