The Chinese MSS, with 800.000 agents and global operations, outnumbers the CIA, FBI and MI6 combined and is one of the most “fearsome” actors in the world. Here’s what we know about it
In an era of new global rivalries, the war for information has become as crucial as the war for territory. At the center of this invisible battle is China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), an intelligence apparatus that many analysts say is expanding its influence around the world in an unprecedented way. With recruitment networks that stretch from social media to state structures, and with operations that touch on technology, defense, and international politics, the MSS is increasingly seen as one of China’s most powerful instruments of strategic influence in the 21st century.
A recent episode of espionage that took place in Greece has brought the powerful Chinese intelligence apparatus, the Ministry of State Security (MSS), back into the spotlight. What happened in the shadows of Athens? Here are the facts, briefly: a commander of the Greek air force admitted to being recruited via LinkedIn by a Chinese agent, identified as “Steven Wayne,” who introduced himself as a representative of a technology company. The collaboration, initially harmless and related to research for a front website, quickly turned into pressure and blackmail to obtain confidential information on applications and telecommunications platforms, without any payment.
SOPHISTICATED RECRUITMENT METHODS
According to the Greek portal Protothema, the MSS uses sophisticated recruitment methods, including social media searches, job postings and shell companies, to attract experts in the defense, technology and communications sectors, with a particular focus on the United States, NATO member states and Taiwan. The Greek case has highlighted the global reach of the ministry, which, according to experts, is involved in espionage and influence operations at many levels, from controlling domestic dissidents to gathering strategic information on international adversaries.
HOW MUCH CIA, FBI AND MI6 COMBINED
The MSS is unparalleled in the West: it combines the functions of the CIA, FBI, and MI6 into a single apparatus, with some 800.000 agents and over 220 documented operations in the United States alone, as the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has pointed out. From 2000 to March 2023, for example, the same institution carried out cyber espionage activities, technological theft, agent recruitment, and infiltrations in critical sectors such as aerospace, communications, and military security.
Another important aspect is that the MSS operates in a decentralized manner: while its headquarters are in Beijing, operations in the United States are run by the Shanghai State Security Bureau, while those in Europe are run by the Zhejiang State Security Bureau. The combination of cyber espionage, data collection, and digital disinformation campaigns makes this “agency” one of the most aggressive in the world.
HOW MSS WORKS
The scope and influence of the MSS have expanded even further since the ministry was led by Chen Yixin, a close ally of Xi Jinping. Since 2013, under Xi’s leadership, the agency has intensified its international and domestic operations, updating security laws and expanding internal control.
But how does this ministry work? The MSS focuses most of its resources on four main objectives: controlling domestic dissidents, surveillance and pressure on Taiwan, espionage against the United States, and influence operations in other countries, including NATO members.
According to the Financial Times, the combined use of advanced technology, cyberattacks, targeted recruitment and digital propaganda positions the MSS as an unprecedented apparatus, “more powerful than the CIA, FBI and MI6 combined”, capable of operating without hindrance around the world and representing an unprecedented challenge to Western security. (il Giornale)