Tahir Azad
Espionage is not an unusual affair in international politics; it is one of the system’s most common habits. Since strategic surprises are expensive and uncertainty is dangerous, states have always tried to find out what their competitors are planning, what technologies they have, what their goals are, and how can they respond. The United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union all built robust intelligence enterprises in the 20th century that included human sources, signals intelligence, and covert action programs. Espionage has not gone away in the 21st century; instead, with the help of technology, it has gotten bigger, faster, and more powerful. The methods changed in the intelligence competition, and so did the major players.
China has become a rising power with global ambitions, and its intelligence apparatus abroad reflects this ambition. For some observers, China is “spying everywhere”; for others, it is acting like any other major power, but with unique advantages stemming from its industrial capacity, digital ecosystems, and extensive state-market coordination. Understanding the scope and logic of China’s expanding intelligence footprint is essential for policymakers, businesses, and researchers navigating an era where technology and security are deeply intertwined. This article aims to clarify how China’s intelligence model operates, why it matters for global power competition, and what its rise means for the balance of international strategic influence.
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