CIA Rebuilding Spy Networks in China After Beijing Caught, Killed U.S. Agents | China In Focus

The CIA is working to rebuild its network of spies in China, after Beijing caught and killed many of its agents a decade ago. As China vows countermeasures, will the agency pull it off this time? Vacant streets and sounding sirens across northern Taiwan, a half hour evacuation drill, aiming to prepare residents for natural disasters or a possible Chinese attack. A show of force and unity aimed at China, the largest ever joint military training between Washington and Canberra underway in Australia. And does America's Indo-Pacific strategy impact world dynamics? What role does Beijing play? We hear from two Washington officials. What do you think about the developments? Let us know below and subscribe if you haven't already. Welcome to China In Focus, I'm Tiffany Meyer. Growing tensions in the US-China spy war. Beijing is pledging countermeasures after the head of the CIA said the agency has been working to rebuild its spy network in China. A decade ago, the CIA rolled up, the China rolled up a lot of CIA operations in China. A dozen or more CIA sources were arrested or worse, executed. Have you rebuilt? Yeah, we've made progress and we're working very hard over recent years to ensure that we have a strong human intelligence capability to complement what we can acquire through other methods. Burns was referring to a major breach over a decade ago when China broke up the CIA's spy network in the country. The consequences of that incident were huge. The New York Times reported at the time that China killed or detained over a dozen CIA sources. One was shot in front of his coworkers in the courtyard of a Chinese government building. The report cited unnamed US officials. NTD reached out to the CIA for comment but did not hear back before airtime. How did Beijing find out about America's spy network? Officials believe multiple issues led to it. One is that the Chinese breached the CIA sources' communication systems. The other is that there was a mole inside the CIA. Later, the agency identified a former officer in Hong Kong, Jerry Chunxing Li. Li had access to information on a lot of CIA officers and their sources. He also knew sensitive details about how the CIA collects intelligence. Li is a naturalized US citizen. He was recruited by China's national security officers. Li pleaded guilty to espionage in 2019. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison. Beijing said it took note of Burns' comment about rebuilding. Sirens sounding on the streets of Taiwan Monday as troops kicked off the week with an annual air raid exercise. In cities across northern Taiwan, Taiwanese citizens were asked to stay indoors for 30 minutes from 1.30 to 2 p.m. local time. A street evacuation alert was sent out to locals via text message ahead of time. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen also shared a reminder on Facebook, directing people to be aware of words like test and drill in the text message and to stay calm. The drill is called Wang An, translated as everlasting peace. It simulates an enemy airstrike on a train station with the city's fire department leaping into action to evacuate wounded civilians and put out fires. The drill aims to prepare civilians for natural disasters and serves as a practice evacuation in the case of a real attack. Beijing claims Taiwan is part of mainland China and has vowed to take control of it by force if necessary. Taiwan staunchly denies being ruled by Beijing. In an attempt to pressure the island, China has also sent near constant rounds of fighter jets and as of this year, drones and warships toward the island. The Chinese Communist Party has never ruled Taiwan. The 46th annual Wang An drills will run through Thursday. Other parts of Taiwan will carry out similar exercises this week. How does Washington's strategy in the Indo-Pacific shape global dynamics? In what role does China play in that region? Two Washington officials sharing some assessments Monday. NTD's Sam Wong brings us the details. The Brookings Institution hosted two Biden administration officials discussing the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific alliance. We believe that much of the history of the 21st century will be written in the Indo-Pacific. America's future security and prosperity is inextricably linked to developments in this consequential region. Dan Crittenbrink serves as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He noted that the US is committed to strengthening partnerships in the Indo-Pacific to enforce rule-based international order. Crittenbrink mentioned that China remains a challenge for regional security and the best way to manage that hurdle is to bolster allies. We have a regional strategy of which China is a part and not the other way around. Our allies and partners are intrinsically valuable to us. That's gonna be the focus of our efforts across the region. China has recently stepped up its aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. Back in May, a Chinese fighter jet made a dangerous maneuver towards a US aircraft cutting right in front of its nose. According to the US Indo-Pacific Command, that move forced the US aircraft to fly through its wake turbulence. On the defense front, Eli Ratner, the Assistant Secretary of State for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, said that Washington is working closely with Australia and the UK. So, conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarine for the Australians that we would be working on trilaterally with the UK as well. We completed a decision around the optimal pathway at the end of the 18-month consultation period. As for Washington's next move in the Indo-Pacific, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has a trip to the region scheduled for next week. He'll be visiting Tonga, New Zealand, and Australia. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Sam Wong, NTT News. A key US ally taking a major step to counter China's dominance in the rare earth market. Japanese metals maker, Proterio, has developed a prototype motor for electric vehicles. According to Nikkei Asia, the new magnet consists mainly of the rare earth metal ferrite. The company said tests have proved the new motor is capable of delivering the output needed for electric vehicles. The ferrite magnet will replace widely used magnets containing a rare earth metal found mainly in China. China previously suspended rare earth exports to Japan in 2010. And now, Japan seeks to bring its reliance down to 50% by 2025. Additionally, China is restricting exports of two rare earth minerals crucial to semiconductor manufacturing as a response to US export controls. What's more, starting this week, Japan is restricting China's access to 23 times of its chip-making tools. Tokyo announced that order in March, joining the US and the Netherlands in efforts to restrict Beijing's chip access, something Washington believes could be exploited for weapons development. China's foreign ministry appealed to Japan on Monday, urging it not to interfere with the normal semiconductor industry cooperation between the two countries. The Japanese restrictions range from tools used for smartphone making to artificial intelligence and chip etching devices that could have military uses. But some officials in Tokyo worry that by specifically targeting China in the move, it could unnecessarily provoke Beijing. A Japanese industry ministry official says, Australia is saying no to a China-linked buyout. According to the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board, the company is looking to acquire a lithium mining company. Since the second time this year, Australia blocked a Chinese company from investing in its critical mineral sector. Australian treasurer Jim Chalmers issued a halt order. That's to prevent the China-linked company called Asteroid from taking over Alita resources. The lithium miner is facing significant financial troubles. Asteroid Australia is led by Chinese national Mike Chieh. Lithium is a critical metal needed for electric car batteries and other storage systems for renewable energy, including electric vehicles, smartphones and laptops. Australia remains the world's top lithium supplier. It plays a crucial role in international trade and the management of strategic resources. On the other hand, China holds a dominant position in global rare earth production and has substantial investments in lithium and mining ventures across Australia. That has prompted Canberra to cautiously address Chinese involvement in its critical minerals industry. At a time when China's ramping up Indo-Pacific aggression, the US and Australia are kicking off a record-setting military exercise involving nearly a dozen other nations and more than 30,000 troops over the weekend. Also appearing on the waters of the Australian Coral Sea, a Chinese surveillance vessel. Let's zoom in. 13 nations are participating in this year's two-week-long Talisman Saver War Games, joining the event France, Japan, Canada, Britain and New Zealand, among others, with a handful more to look on as observers. The Talisman Sabre is a biannual joint exercise between the US and Australia, first launched in 2005. Officials say this year's joint drills are the largest and most expensive in the exercise's history. All of this is actually building muscle memory between our two countries' defense forces. Footage shows personnel from different defense forces in action during a live fire rehearsal. US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro says that the multi-nation drill sends a clear message to China. I think the most important message that China can take from this exercise and anything that our allies and partners do together is that we are extremely tied by the core values that exist amongst our many nations together. Del Toro and Marines were also upbeat about progress on the AUKUS deal. Under it, the US and Britain will provide Australia with a fleet of submarines powered by US nuclear technology. That's the strength of three nations working together as one. According to Australian Army Officer Greg Bilton, a Chinese spy ship had been contacted on Australian waters on Thursday. I'll tell you now, there's one one off the east coast of Australia at the moment. He says the ship is expected to move into the exercise area. The presence of a Chinese ship is a common sight during the drills. They've done this for a number of years. We're well paid for it. Chinese spy ships have been shadowing Talisman Sabre exercises since 2017. Australian defense officials say they are tracking the ship during the exercise. As the largest ever US Australia drill is on display along the Australian coast, now Australia is set to expand its Air Force fleet with help from weapons made in the USA. What's included in the defense deal? Let's dive in. In a major boost to its military capabilities, Australia said on Monday it will buy 20 new Hercules planes from the US. These are the workhorses of the Australian Air Force. And today I'm proud to announce that the Albanese Labor government will be almost doubling the fleet, going from 12 Hercules aircraft to 20. The deal is valued at $6.6 billion and will substantially increase Australia's fleet of its second largest heavy transport aircraft. Almost doubling the fleet gives us more capacity to deploy them on multiple operations at the same time. And that's the critical driver. The US State Department in November approved the potential sale to Australia. The first of the new four-engine Hercules is expected to be delivered in 2027, eventually replacing the current fleet of 12 Hercules stationed at a base near Sydney. The deal comes ahead of an Australian visit later this week by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. A tragic incident unfolding in Northeast China. The roof of a middle school gym collapsed during a girls' volleyball practice. Who was victimized and what led to the devastating collapse? We speak to the victim's grief-stricken parents That report and more coming up tomorrow on China In Focus. That's all for today's China In Focus on YouTube. We're now sharing a shortened version of our program here after being demonetized for two years. Here's what to look out for in our second half. The world's second largest economy actively chasing cutting edge technology. Beijing reaffirming its ambitions to become the global leader in artificial intelligence. Chinese tech giants are speeding up development to catch up with their US peers in AI chatbot creation. How have American tech companies contributed to China's rapid AI advancements? And what repercussions might Washington now face? We sat down with Rex Lee, Cybersecurity Advisor at MySmartPrivacy for details. Full episode is available on our partner platform, AppBot TV. To sign up, click the link down below. Thanks for watching China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer, see you tomorrow.