ABSTRACT
The Ministry of State Security (MSS)prefers to recruit agents in China. Recruiting foreign nationals on one's own soil tends to be a secure and cost-effective method of conducting espionage. In China recruitment operations against foreign nationals include diplomats and government officials as targets as well as academics, journalists, and businesspersons. The MSS uses two main themes in recruiting foreign nationals of Chinese ancestry. First, it appeals to their perceived obligation to help the land of their heritage, thereby exploiting sentimental feelings of ethnic pride. Second, it implies that family members still in the PRC will receive unfavorable treatment unless the subjects cooperate. Recruitment of agents among refugees in border areas follows the same pattern: threats and physical abuse in the case of noncooperation, financial rewards for compliance. The PRC's intelligence apparatus exhibits diversity and adaptability in its recruitment methods, which differ according to the prospective agent's individual attributes and the operational conditions at the time.
