China Condemns CIA Recruitment Ads Targeting Chinese Officials

China has sharply criticized recent recruitment videos released by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), describing the campaign as a “naked political provocation” aimed at luring Chinese officials into espionage.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian accused the United States of actively attempting to deceive and recruit Chinese personnel, particularly government officials, to leak sensitive state information.

“The United States not only maliciously smears and attacks China but also openly deceives and lures Chinese personnel to surrender, even directly targeting Chinese government officials,” Lin said.

The backlash follows the CIA’s release of a series of high-production videos reportedly aimed at recruiting disillusioned Chinese insiders to cooperate with U.S. intelligence. CIA Director John Ratcliffe noted that the agency is adapting its tradecraft and exploring new ways to engage foreign informants.

However, China sees the move as an overt admission of espionage.

“The videos released by the US Central Intelligence Agency on social media are another self-confession with solid evidence,” Lin said, adding that “China strongly condemns this.”

Beijing further accused Washington of long-standing interference and espionage practices, stating the U.S. uses “despicable methods” to steal foreign secrets and disrupt sovereign governance.

Tensions between the two nations have escalated over repeated claims of cyber and intelligence warfare. Just last month, Chinese authorities alleged that three U.S. “secret agents” were involved in cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games in Harbin.

In another incident in March, China sentenced a former engineer to death for leaking state secrets to a foreign entity.

On Tuesday, China vowed to take “necessary measures to resolutely crack down on infiltration and sabotage activities by foreign anti-China forces.”

“China will firmly safeguard national sovereignty, development, and security interests,” Lin reaffirmed.

The incident marks yet another flashpoint in the increasingly strained U.S.–China relations, especially in the realm of cyber intelligence and national security.