What Is China's Spy Agency Talking About This Month?

The PRC's counterespionage priorities - and how foreign companies can operate there safely.

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What Is China's Spy Agency Talking About This Month?

This week, The Spy Hunter newsletter checks back in with China’s Ministry of State Security to see what the country’s top spy agency is talking about on social media. The MSS’ social media posts offer insights into the Chinese government’s security priorities, allowing foreign companies operating in China to adjust their practices in line with evolving trends and regulations.

Over the past month, the messaging from MSS has reflected the siege mentality fostered by the country’s leaders, in which China sees itself under constant threat from foreign intelligence agencies. The counterespionage narrative is tightly linked to China's strategic competition with the West and to growing efforts to insulate critical systems and institutions from perceived infiltration. To the CCP, this positions foreign companies operating in China not just as economic actors, but as potential vectors of malign influence.

For more information about what this means and why this matters to foreign companies looking to understand China, please check out this edition of The Spy Hunter.

This month, there are posts on protecting China’s water supply from foreign spies, outreach efforts to promote national security among ethnic minorities, and an advertisement for a new Chinese TV show that is “more than a thrilling drama—it’s also a compelling public education tool on national security.”

Keep reading to learn more.