Decent, if you care about the subject matter. I could have done without the long list of espionage cases discussed in detail, though. A few examples would have gotten the point across just fine.

Former CIA counterintelligence analyst Peter Mattis and CCP historian and former corporate security manager Matthew Brazil provide a comprehensive history and security assessment in Chinese Communist Espionage: An Intelligence Primer.

The straightforward descriptions of their methodology, sources and research limits show how difficult it is to compile a history of Chinese intelligence operations throughout revolutions, wars and purges. Popular histories and journalistic overviews of national security matters and business trade secrets often avoid Chinese language sources, which may lead to "miscalculation, misunderstanding and prejudice" by governments and companies. There is no shortage of recently released books on Chinese foreign influence, spies and espionage, but this book deserves special consideration for its meticulous research and staggering profiles of key leaders, notable operatives and criminal case defendants.

T. Greer of The Scholar's Stage recently discussed how China analysts must develop four traits to interpret the intentions and actions of the CCP. First, Chinese fluency is absolutely necessary. Next, the analyst must be able to consume huge quantities of official documentation filled with jargon, dubious statistics and empty clichés while remaining acutely attuned to what might be an slight indication of the truth. Then, the analyst must decode this hidden language, a subtle political language beyond street Mandarin, while integrating the sociocultural history behind these carefully selected words, phrases and actions. How many self-described old China hands read the People's Daily? How many journalists actually listen to any government speeches? The authors of this book are those sort of people. In the words of Laszlo Ladany (China watcher, 1914 - 1990), they have surely absorbed "industrial quantities of the most indigestible stuff."

This book outlines the profiles of intelligence figures, military and political leaders, the organisation of the PRC's intelligence operations and the methods used in a roll call of espionage cases. It wasn't until the founding of the PRC in 1949 that responsibilities were clarified between party, state and military units. Reading how each department was absorbed, transferred and relocated can be slightly dizzying, but is essential for understanding how reporting to superiors functioned and what that meant for staff during the Cultural Revolution. During this time "between eight hundred and one thousand CCP intelligence officers and agents were demoted, fired, or imprisoned in the subsequent purge by Mao." The sections on how rival Red Guard factions formed and led to leaks is both fascinating and appalling. In more modern times, offices have been restructured due to retirements or adultery scandals.

Although not the main focus of this book, Chinese Communist Espionage provides in-depth coverage of Zhou Enlai's major role as the first Special Services Section (SSS) director. The SSS was the predecessor of the Ministries of State Security and Public Security. Zhou was brought up by an adoptive mother from a scholarly family and seemed born for this role. He is described as the founder of intelligence operations, with personal expertise in tradecraft and operations management. He was involved in domestic and foreign intelligence operations for nearly the rest of his life and conceived the party's first foreign intelligence section. Zhou managed the loan of Chinese staff to Soviet military intelligence and had his hand in the creation of numerous other sub-groups. He displayed leadership by stressing the importance of moving from "simple military intelligence to military and political intelligence, economic intelligence and technological acquisition." The authors describe how he has a saint-like following among modern propagandists, but many Western sources of information reveal a man who was nearly super human in his energy, breadth of knowledge and patience. Zhou Enlai was clearly a machine of productivity. Possibly even a saint of productivity.

The CCP, motivated by political paranoia, purged their own intelligence staff repeatedly. How does an organisation gain familiarity with an enemy, without falling under suspicion themselves for coming too close? How do certain structures lead to the politicization of military intelligence? When an intelligence agency is kept secret and in-house, are those analysts pressured to emphasise findings that support policies and ignore issues that might embarrass their higher ups? Are personal advancement, isolated career paths, and data provided without proper context skewing estimates? Is the role of military intelligence to support government policy or military operations? How do domestic intelligence skills transfer to foreign operations or handling foreign sources? This book provides a intriguing analysis of how the Communists faced these issues since their revolutionary days.

Although this book does not shy away from the horrors of mass-surveillance, spies and intelligence operations, it is not an anti-Chinese screed. For example, in their descriptions of domestic intelligence, they outline how illegal drug trafficking in China is a growing problem which must be seriously addressed. Many of these policing methods are used by other nations, however the CCP lacks procedural guarantees of privacy and is highly technologically sophisticated. No judge and warrant are required. Similarly, it describes the activities of foreigners that may 'attract surveillance.' Of course that includes interactions with known dissidents, religious proselytising or being too close to a military zone. The text also outlines how China's household registrations system (hukou) and foreign passports are utilised. The authors urge us to understand that requiring foreigners to carry their passports everywhere is more about accountability (ass covering) in case something goes wrong, rather than surveillance. This book is absolutely packed with conspiracies, blackmail, honey pots, thieves and traitors, but they don't interpret every policy as a nefarious plot. Given their capacity for unique insights, I do wish the case summaries had a few observations included from the authors. Foreign visitors to China may wish to read how modern surveillance and related intimidation methods work, and the final chapters would be a better source of information than relying on online rumours and message board conjecture. However, it would have been interesting if they had included additional firsthand accounts of those who have experienced this.

This book serves as an excellent reference and would suit those with specialist careers in political science, criminology, diplomacy and cyber security. It also deserves a place in the libraries of Chinese and Soviet Union history lovers and Mandarin language students. There are many more personalities memorably outlined in this book than the brief overview of Zhou Enlai above. Throughout the text, the authors kindly provide numerous words and phrases in pinyin and hanzi from the unclassified实用公安小词典 (Shíyòng gōng'ān xiǎo cídiǎn - A Practical Public Security Mini Dictionary). The companion PDF Glossary of Chinese Espionage and Security Terms is freely available on ccpintelterms.com.

This is a timely work, however I'm afraid this book may not receive the attention it deserves as I expect publishers will be scrambling to flood the market with similar books as U.S.-China relations deteriorate. Chinese Communist Espionage avoids scare mongering and sensationalism, with a sophisticated analysis of China's competent and effective intelligence capabilities within diplomatic, military, economic and technological contexts.

A copy of this book was provided by Naval Institute Press for review.

Spy Tactics: From 5G to Balloon-Warfare

Unveiling the clandestine world of Chinese Communist Party espionage, this book is a real eye-opener.

It provides a detailed and well-researched insight into the vast landscape of espionage carried out by the CCP. I was already familiar with a few cases, but this book shed light on many more.

The author, Peter Mattis, has done an excellent job of compiling a primer on Chinese Communist Espionage.

His work is especially relevant today, with the recent appearance of Chinese spy balloons.

This book is a must-read for those interested in international relations, national security, and foreign policy.

I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to understand the hidden side of global politics, and the espionage tactics employed by the Chinese Communist Party.

With well-documented cases and compelling insights, this book is a great book for anyone looking to understand the contemporary world we live in - and being monitored in.

4.5/5

This is a must read for anyone in the CIA, MI6 or the KGB, it should also be read by anyone in the political arena that comes into contact with China. Also any business that is doing business or is thinking about doing business with China would also benefit from this book. Finally if you have even a little interest in Chinese espionage this will be a very good read. It is clear that the authors did a tremendous amount of research for this book. They did not have a problem in saying when they did not know something or were not able to find enough evidence to make positive conclusion.
It starts off with a history of espionage inside China from the early 1920’s to the late 2010’s. With the changing of names and the back and forth changes in leadership. Next it moves on to a who’s who of people within the Chinese security and what happened to them. So many of them fell out of favor only to come back into the fold at a later date or be brought back after they have passed away. Next is a very detailed list of Chinese individuals trying to steal secrets within the United States and what the penalty was for their action. The surprising thing was that so many of these people were just given a slap on the wrist and sent on their way.
The book continues with details of security and espionage during the Mao revolution which was very interesting and informative. In the next chapter the authors deal with more current cases that effected the US as well as Taiwan. In these cases the punishment more accurately fit the crime. The final chapter is a recap of the book along with a clear outline of what foreigners can expect coming into or living in China as far as security is concerned.
I am not sure that this book was really for me as I was looking for something more like a Spy Catcher type book and although it had some of that it also had a lot of detail that was of less interest to me. This book clearly has a very clear target audience and if you fix that group this is a must read.