China Publicizes Alleged Defection Plot Amid Intensifying USChina Intelligence Rivalry

Police patrol on Tiananmen Square before the opening session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in Beijing on March 4, 2025. Vincent Thian/AP PhotoThe Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) state security officials have publicized a case involving a former insider accused of attempting to defect to a foreign intelligence agency—an episode analysts say may reveal deeper tensions within the CCP system itself.China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) said on March 10 in a post on its official WeChat account that it had recently uncovered a case involving a “former employee in an important position” who allegedly tried to establish contact with a foreign intelligence service before attempting to leave the country.