Chapter Review: "Routledge Companion to Intelligence Studies", Chapter 19 (China)

A presentation on China’s systems of intelligence and intelligence information objectives.

China’s intelligence information objectives

Military intelligence areas of concern

Taiwan

The straits of Fujian/Taiwan. Note the date: this is a recurring preocupation of the Chinese state.

Xinjiang

China’s muslim population and neighbours are of concern to PRC intelligence. Pictured: a 2009 protest in Urumqi.

South China Sea

PLAN destroyer Zhuhai patrolling the SSC. China’s territorial claims in the region are of interest for its intelligence apparatus.

India

Border disputes, political differences, and India’s affinity to Tibet require China to allocate resources to monitoring India.

Russian Federation

Though pragmatic cooperation exists between the two nations, lingering tensions and conflicting interests still remain.

Information objectives

Military, civil, and commercial technology

Pictured: a Bangladeshi-operated EQ2050, a Chinese copy of the American HMMWV.

Foreign policy trends

China’s embassy network is also tasked with collecting information on foreign policy trends of its hosts.

Trade secrets and economic information

Pictured: US officials announce Huawei investigations over theft of trade secret technology, among other charges.

National security policy and information

Pictured: USS Essex, where two sailors accused of providing sensitive military information to Chinese intelligence were serving.

Dissident groups

Pictured: Wu Jianmin, a Chinese dissident from the 1989 protests. Wu was harassed outside his US home in 2020.

Chinese intelligence and information agencies

Ministry of State Security

Espionage, counterintelligence, and security.

Ministry of Public Security

Counterintelligence, public security (policing).

PLA Military Intelligence Department

Military intelligence.