CIA shares video in Mandarin, seeks ‘insiders’ willing to share information from China

The CIA has released a new video in the Mandarin language with step-by-step instructions for people in mainland China on how to securely contact the agency if they wish to share information. It says the CIA “wants to know the truth about China” and is seeking insiders for the task. The Central Intelligence Agency has released a series of social media videos urging Chinese citizens to secretly share information about their government. In the video, the CIA says it is seeking individuals inside China having access to information about the country’s political system and willing to share it safely.

The videos have led to questions about whether the agency is openly recruiting intelligence sources inside China. In the video, the intelligence agency says it wants to hear the “truth” about China and is seeking people who have confidential knowledge of the Chinese government.

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“The CIA wants to know the truth about China, and we are looking for people who know and can tell the truth,” the agency wrote.

The video was shared across the CIA’s official platforms and features footage of Chinese businessmen and professionals at work, while a narrator provides step-by-step instructions on how to make anonymous contact. Viewers are advised to assess risks to themselves and their families, use public Wi-Fi, avoid personal devices, rely on VPNs and delete all traces of communication.

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“Purchase new or used devices using cash or gift cards without providing any personal information related to you,” the agency instructs. It also urges potential sources to create a new anonymous email address and avoid entering any details that could be traced back to them. The agency further suggests that if circumstances allow, individuals should travel abroad before contacting the CIA.

“If you are unable to travel abroad, any or all of these steps can be performed by a trusted close relative or friend,” the video says.

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The release follows a similar campaign last year, when the CIA published videos aimed at ordinary Chinese citizens working in sectors like defence, national security, diplomacy, science and advanced technology.

The video posted then asked, “Do you have any information about economic, fiscal, or trade policies? Do you work in the defence industry?”

The video also provides instructions for contacting the CIA through its dark web portal using the Tor browser, offering both an onion address and a standard CIA website link.

The CIA says messages may be written in any language but warns against using any applications, software, or artificial intelligence tools to write or translate the content.

After making contact, the agency advises informants to continue their normal daily routines while the information is being reviewed.

“If it weren’t working, we wouldn’t be making more videos,” a CIA official had said then in response to a pointed query.

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CIA Director John Ratcliffe has also been open about the agency’s mission and said, “One of the primary roles of the CIA is to collect intelligence by recruiting assets that can help us steal secrets.”

The campaign comes after relations between Washington and Beijing took a hit when President Donald Trump announced tariffs of up to 20 per cent on Chinese imports last year.

China responded by warning it was ready for “any type of war” and vowed to “fight until the end”.

In an unprecedented move, the CIA released two Chinese-language videos in May 2025, encouraging Chinese Communist Party officials to provide intelligence to the US.