While all nations engage in espionage, China does so on an unprecedented scale. Beijing needs to stop stealing industry secrets from foreign companies and research universities, and instead focus on its own innovation. The threat of Chinese espionage is rising and its consequences are becoming more dangerous.
While many global politicians and security experts have warned of the threat of Chinese espionage, the reality is that Chinese spies are not as effective as they think that they are. China’s focus on defense and technological and corporate secrets comes at the expense of insight into decision-making in foreign capitals. The country has focused too much on the wrong things and is far behind in spy tradecraft, recruitment, and foreign assets. Chinese espionage is not as advanced as some experts have warned.