A Chinese state security official was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of spying for the United States, according to unnamed citing Chinese sources claiming direct knowledge of the arrest, Reuters reported June 1. According to the report, an aide to a vice minister in China's primary foreign intelligence organization, the Ministry of State Security (MSS), was detained on allegations that he had passed information to the United States for several years after being recruited by the CIA. If accurate, this would represent the highest-level incident in China-U.S. espionage since the defection of the director of the MSS North America Department, Yu Qiangsheng, in 1986.
That case resulted in the arrest of Jin Wudai, a prominent Chinese spy who had conducted espionage activities inside the United States for more than 40 years, and led to the shake-up of the MSS system and the removal of then-MSS head Ling Yun. China's intelligence operations abroad and at home remain extremely large, and given the sheer number of agents — official, witting or otherwise — it is not unusual to see some caught, some turned and numerous operations to counter the Chinese actions. But if the recent reports prove accurate and there was a major breach of the MSS, it will inevitably lead to a shake-up of the MSS and a reassessment of much of the organization and personnel.
