ABSTRACT
To describe the nature and scope of domestic Ministry of State Security (MSS) activities accurately, it is first necessary to review its operational climate. The fundamental building block in domestic intelligence is the work unit. The domestic or internal responsibilities of the MSS appear to focus on penetrating foreign intelligence services, recruiting agents for domestic and overseas espionage, investigating foreign espionage, and collecting information on counterrevolutionary activities. Domestic intelligence operations are directed at China's foreign population and Chinese citizens with foreign or dissident contacts. Chinese intelligence services can count on state ministries, people's friendship societies, academic institutions, and the military-industrial complex to support activities such as agent recruitment and information collection as well as to provide cover jobs to their operatives. China's intelligence services, however, perceive these individuals as more than threats. Individuals in each category represent potentially lucrative sources of information, technology, and other materials to support China's political, diplomatic, economic, and military needs.
