Chinese intelligence agencies include the Ministry of State Security, the Intelligence Bureau of the General Staff Department, the Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, and the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. Ministry of State Security primarily conducts counter-espionage and foreign intelligence operations in over 120 countries worldwide. The Intelligence Bureau of the General Staff Department focuses on military intelligence, with an annual investment of about 10 billion RMB in satellite and electronic warfare equipment. The Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security has the “Sky Net” system in processing 2 million surveillance data per second for counter-terrorism and public security monitoring.
Ministry of State Security
The core department in China’s intelligence system is the Ministry of State Security. The ministry, which was established in 1983 to handle the collection and processing of domestic and foreign security intelligence, is headed by a minister who responds to the State Council. Consequently, with such a wide scope and such complex functions, its duties range from the collection of foreign intelligence, counter-espionage, and counter-terrorism to the gathering of economic intelligence. As the primary national security agency, the interests of national security guarded by the Ministry of State Security involve a large-scale area of concern, and every year, increased investment is required for it to function properly.
The Ministry of State Security performs counter-espionage activities and counter-terrorism prevention. It ensures that national security is effectively monitored, gathering necessary information about suspected spies and terrorist organizations. The Ministry has done an excellent job in fighting terrorist activities and has been able to foil more than dozens of potential threats. This goes to show that the Ministry is very vital in the national security defense system. It goes without saying that this function of gathering and analyzing foreign intelligence alone makes it an important ministry. The Ministry of State Security has intelligence coverage in over 120 countries and regions worldwide, with sensitive information spanning various industries. Such a huge global intelligence network enables the enhancement of effectiveness in security defenses and provides essential data support in the process of major-country diplomacy for China.
The Economic and Technological Intelligence Department under the Ministry of State Security focuses on issues such as technology transfer and the protection of economic interests. In turn, such cases also pointed out how valuable the ministry can be in safeguarding national economic interests while the intelligence data are playing directly into economic security. The large resources and workforce provided by the Ministry to counter-terrorism and stability within the country. This national intelligence system ensures multi-level protection of national security but also enhances the response speed of the Ministry when dealing with emergencies.
Intelligence Bureau of the General Staff Department
The Intelligence Bureau of the General Staff Department, alias Second Department, is the core part of China’s military intelligence organization and is directly under the control of the General Staff Department of the PLA. Its major tasks include collecting foreign military intelligence, assessing threats, researching military adversaries’ capabilities, as well as guaranteeing that in a strategic and tactical sense, China is able to retain an advantageous position in terms of information.
Military collection, on the other hand, is performed by the Intelligence Bureau of the General Staff Department through many intelligence stations located around the world. **The intelligence stations are distributed across more than 40 countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe and use satellite reconnaissance and cyber surveillance to collect information. The Intelligence Bureau under the General Staff Department is one of the most populous cadres within the PLA system, with more than 30,000 officers serving with the technical cadres in this system for performing duties on everything from traditional military intelligence to cyber warfare, electronic warfare, and information operations.
The General Staff Department’s Intelligence Bureau invests copiously in the fields of cyber intelligence and electronic warfare. It has developed, in the last few years, special electronic warfare equipment and cyber-attack tools, emphatically strengthening cyber intelligence gathering and defense capabilities. Advances in cyber-attack technologies not only protect critical domestic information but also provide the PLA with a cyber advantage in future conflicts. Equipped with the latest intelligence equipment and technology, the Intelligence Bureau of the General Staff Department has kept updating its satellite reconnaissance to electronic warfare. Its annual budget has exceeded 10 billion RMB in high-tech equipment applications, including purchasing and maintaining satellites, radar, drones, and listening devices.
Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security
The Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security is the core intelligence agency to be in charge of domestic security, social stability, combating terrorism, and maintaining public order. It will be directly serving the needs of national security and public order. The Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, as a front-line law enforcement and intelligence-gathering department, will be mainly in charge of the investigation of suspicious domestic activities, crime networks, terrorist organizations, etc. It will be all over the country and cover all aspects of social life.
The Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security carries heavy tasks. Thousands of potential threat targets are monitored every day. The branch agencies in charge of intelligence gathering, supervision of public opinion, and assessment of risks extend from the grassroots level to top-level coordination. The dense intelligence network is the foundation for the Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security to respond quickly in emergencies, which greatly increases the efficiency in dealing with emergencies. The investment in counter-terrorism intelligence in the Bureau is quite huge. In 2022, a budget of 2 billion RMB was invested in counter-terrorism intelligence in sensitive regions like Xinjiang and Tibet. Fixed monitoring points and mobile patrol teams in these regions are set up so any abnormal movements can be quickly detected.
The Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security also pays much attention to social order and public safety. Advanced big data analysis and facial recognition technology are applied to integrate the public surveillance network with the police database, establishing a nationwide “Sky Net” monitoring system. It is capable of processing over 2 million points of monitoring data per second, finding suspicious criminal individuals. The Intelligence Bureau under the Ministry of Public Security also has an immense cyber security role. Confronted with increasingly rampant cybercrime in recent years, the Bureau has increased comprehensive controls against cyber threats such as fraud and illegal intrusions. Internationally, the Bureau takes active participation in international security intelligence exchanges, especially in fighting transnational crimes, cracking down on the global network of crime through joint sharing of intelligence.
Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission
The Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, usually abbreviated as the “Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission,” is an important national-level institution in China responsible for coordination and management generally for domestic legal, security, and intelligence affairs; coordination in the work of major departments such as the Public Security, Courts and Procuratorate. In the integration of resources for information, the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission is to integrate intelligence resources from public security, courts, and security departments upward into the national intelligence-sharing platform and data exchange system.
It also plays a critical command role in major public safety incidents. The command center under the Commission operates a highly effective command system that ensures the safety and efficiency of the personnel participating in rescue operations. As for the legal and security oversight functions, the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission supervises various regions’ law enforcement work through special inspections, case reviews, and auditing. In 2023, the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, for the sake of ensuring compliance in law enforcement in each case, re-examined and rectified more than 1,000 sensitive cases across the country.
The Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission also assumes important command responsibilities in counter-terrorism and stability. In recent years, due to the change in the security situation, both at home and abroad, every year, the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission has allocated more than 3 billion RMB to upgrade equipment against terrorist attacks and expand the intelligence network. The Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission is working on international intelligence and security cooperation, too. In recent years, it has signed security cooperation agreements with a number of countries, including Russia and Pakistan. It holds more than five bilateral security meetings annually to address transnational crime and terrorism jointly.