As tensions continue to rise between the U.S. and China, the two nations are ramping up spying efforts against each other. Following the Chinese spy balloon incident earlier this year, the U.S. reportedly increased intelligence operations surrounding Chinese President Xi Jinping. China, meanwhile, has been slowly and quietly infiltrating American society for years.
In this modern 'spying war,' the U.S. often finds itself trying to keep up. "Both countries spy on each other, but it's a lot easier for China to spy on us, because we are an open country," says Dr. Antonio Graceffo, expert with the China Econ Group. "We have a lot of freedoms, a lot of rights, a lot of immigration, a lot of foreign students."
Giant spy balloons get a lot of attention, but Chinese espionage tactics go far deeper. "Chinese spy efforts are targeted, they're vast, they're well-funded, and they're very sophisticated," says Graceffo. "Sometimes they use really attractive females to win a guy over, and then a lot of times they give money...for instance, they offer very lucrative packages for high-ranking professors or academics to go over to China."
China is also known for using its spy programs to obtain U.S. intellectual property or military information. But Graceffo says not all spying is as it seems. In some instances, our leaders deliberately leak supposedly secret info. "A lot of this is done to prevent war," he explains. "Like if China believes that we have particular weapon X, then maybe they won't attack, or they won't attack Taiwan and war won't break out."
"So very often, the media will amplify something as 'spying' or blow it out of proportion, when it really isn't as serious as it may appear."
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