The CIA's Chinese-language video, published on the agency's YouTube channel on Thursday, appears to target disaffected officers and appeals for information on China's leaders and armed forces.
China's foreign ministry condemned what it called "anti-China forces" and vowed action to protect national security.
"China will take all necessary measures to resolutely combat infiltration and sabotage activities of foreign anti-China forces and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference when asked about the CIA video.
He did not provide any details on the measures Beijing could take.
The video depicts a fictional Chinese officer deciding to contact the US intelligence agency after concluding that "the only thing leaders are protecting is their own interest" and that "their power is based on countless lies".
It shows the officer at home with his family, then driving past a checkpoint in pouring rain before taking out a laptop in the car and typing on it as he says: "Picking this path is my way of fighting for my family and my country."
Chinese text accompanying the clip appeals for leaks on Beijing's leaders and military as well as other areas.
"Do you have information about high-ranking Chinese leaders? Are you a military officer or have dealings with the military? Do you work in intelligence, diplomacy, economics, science, or advanced technology fields, or deal with people working in these fields?"
"Please contact us. We want to understand the truth," the text says, adding that the CIA can be contacted "securely through our Tor hidden service."
The latest appeal came after the agency released a number of videos last year that its Director John Ratcliffe said were aimed at recruiting Chinese officials.
They are "just one of many ways that we're adjusting our tradecraft", Ratcliffe said.
Beijing condemned the posts at the time as "naked political provocation", saying Washington "not only maliciously smears and attacks China, but also openly deceives and lures Chinese personnel to surrender".
German court jails US military contractor in China spy case
Berlin (AFP) Feb 11, 2026 -
A US citizen was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison Wednesday for offering China sensitive information while working as a civilian contractor at a US military base in Germany.
The defendant, only partially named as Martin D., was put on trial in a German court in the western city of Koblenz, with proceedings held partly behind closed doors.
In 2024, prosecutors charged that Martin D. had "contacted Chinese government agencies several times and offered to pass on sensitive information from the US military to a Chinese intelligence service".
The man worked as a contractor for the US Defense Department between 2017 and 2023, including at a US military base in Germany since at least 2020, according to the indictment.
He was arrested by German police in Frankfurt in November 2024 and has been held in pretrial detention since.
The United States established dozens of bases in Germany after World War II, and still has more than 35,000 US troops stationed in the country.
The bases -- located mostly in the former US military occupation zone in western and southern Germany -- also employ approximately 11,000 civilians for services such as logistics, catering, healthcare and security.
Germany has seen an increase in suspected spying cases linked to Russia since the 2022 start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with German authorities accusing Moscow of waging "hybrid warfare" -- something that Moscow denies.
But there have also been a number of espionage cases linked to China, with Berlin's ties to Beijing under growing pressure.
In the most high-profile recent case involving China, a former aide to German far-right politician Maximilian Krah was jailed for four years and nine months in September on spying charges.
A court in Dresden found Jian Guo guilty of acting as an agent for a Chinese intelligence service while working for Krah, a member of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Australia charges two Chinese nationals with foreign interference
Canberra (AFP) Feb 11, 2026 -
Australian police said Wednesday they have charged two Chinese nationals with foreign interference, accusing them of spying on a Buddhist group at the behest of police in China.
The pair -- a 25-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman -- have each been charged with one count of "reckless foreign interference", which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment.
When the two appear in court on Wednesday, police will allege they worked with a Chinese national charged last August for covertly gathering information on the Guan Yin Citta Buddhist group in Australia's capital, Canberra.
They are alleged to have worked under the command of China's Public Security Bureau, the country's main domestic law enforcement body.
China's foreign ministry called on the Australian government to take care in its handling of the case.
"China urges Australia to handle the case prudently and properly, and to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens," Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a news conference, denying knowledge of the specific details of the case.
Australia's federal police said they began investigating the case last year on a tip from Canberra's spy agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
Agency chief Mike Burgess said a "complex, challenging and changing security environment is becoming more dynamic, diverse and degraded".
"Multiple foreign regimes are monitoring, harassing and intimidating members of our diaspora communities," he said.
"This sort of behaviour is utterly unacceptable and cannot be tolerated."
- Targeting the diaspora -
China's sprawling security apparatus has long been accused of infiltrating community organisations as a way to keep tabs on expats and dissidents.
"Australia is not immune to foreign interference, and we should not expect this arrest will prevent further attempts to target our diaspora communities," police counter terrorism and special investigations assistant commissioner Stephen Nutt said.
"Members of our culturally and linguistically diverse communities are more likely to be victims of foreign interference or transnational repression than to be offenders," he added.
Guan Yin Citta describes its goals as encouraging "people to recite Buddhist scriptures, practise life liberation and make great vows to help more people".
Led by the late Lu Jun Hong, known to followers as Master Lu, it claims to have millions of devotees worldwide.
Beijing considers the group to be a "cult".
Relations between Beijing and Canberra have charted a bumpy course over the past decade, a period marked by repeated disagreements over national security and competing interests across the vast Pacific region.
Ties improved in 2024, when China called off a ban on imported Australian rock lobster, removing the final obstacle to ending a damaging trade war waged between the countries from 2017.
China is one of Australia's most important economic partners, accounting for nearly one-third of its total trade.
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