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title: "Spies and Lies: How China's Greatest Covert Operations Fooled the World Paperback – October 11, 2022"
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# Spies and Lies: How China's Greatest Covert Operations Fooled the World Paperback – October 11, 2022

**Brand:** alex joske
**Price:** € 22.49
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- **What is this?** Spies and Lies: How China's Greatest Covert Operations Fooled the World Paperback – October 11, 2022 by alex joske
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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Should be mandatory reading at CIA and FBI
  

*by I***N on Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2022*

Any decent intelligence service can recruit spies, steal secret documents, and run paramilitary operations. This extraordinary book shows how Chinese intelligence took the dark arts to a much higher level. Through an elaborate web of front companies and undercover agents, the Chinese Communist Party’s spy agencies have infiltrated directly into the heart of American power, shaping and manipulating our nation’s foreign policy in a way that serves Beijing’s strategic aims. And they’ve done it for decades.This book should be mandatory reading across the CIA, FBI, Pentagon, State Department, White House, and Congress. Mr. Alex Joske has delivered a signal service to defenders of freedom everywhere.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) features operations  thru 2001 - a history of spying
  

*by G***R on Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2023*

China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) relatively new headquarters is located in the hills west of Beijing, the Col Springs Base involves some 80,000-square feet of meters of complex buildings. It is a vast expansion on the MSS's other facility, the Jiangnan Social University, outside Shanghai. The author notes that few law enforcement or intelligence agency have paid much attention to the MSS and its operations over the last five decades, but that changed in 2021, with widespread arrests in the U.S. and Europe.The author focus is to reveal the MSS's "influence operations" the most potent part of the CCP's intelligence work that has been the most overlooked, misunderstood and ignored" ([2) part of China's vast intelligence operations. Its history dates from the Civil War, whose origins begin with traditional Marxist-Leninist doctrines "united front" work. In China, this began with the. United Front Work Department (UFWD), from when many of the early MSS agents came from. As the author notes, "united front work is bad enough. It serves as a way for the Party to push its influence beyond its own ranks, including abroad."  (p. 31)The MSS focus is the long-game, cultivating relationships with China-friendly voices to influence politics, and perhaps one day see those 'influencers' rise to senior positions in government, business, and academia. The author walks the reader through a series of operations, most embarrassing for the U.S. being the China Reform Forum - which snared a whole slough of academics over the years - in what was a pure MSS intelligence operation (Ch. 7, p.84).China Reform Forum was a disguised Chinese "think tank", established as a outlet for liberal, reform minded Chinese and foreigners, who bought into the MSS "lie".  Tracking the life of Zheng Bijian, the "great lie" come with this statement: "China's only choice is to strike to rise and, more importantly, to strive for a peaceful rise" - the alternative is a confrontation and conflict with the United States - was doomed to failure. (p. 87) To academic listeners, its sounded great. It was Zeng Bijian's "peaceful rase" concept marked the beginning of a phenomenally successful influence operation orchestrated by the MSS through China Reform Forum." (p. 97)Those who bought into the China Reform Form included such notables as John W. Lewis, PLA weapons expert (with Hua Di) and mentor to Condi Rice (and her position with Bush 2.0)."In 1993, Lewis and Hua all brokered a controversial deal that gave the PLA access to advanced broadband equipment from the United States." (p.102) - just the kind of "friends" the MSS had been cultivating.Another was John L. Thornton, late of Goldman Sachs and now Brooking Institution. The author notes these "think thanks" were wide-open sources of intelligence - sometimes better than cracking the real intelligence agencies! This even extended fo the former chief economist at RAND Corp. Others might include the founders and CEOs of the Blackstone Group and Blackrock firms. While some bought into the peaceful transition of China, not all did, as the author related the story of George Soros China Fund, in the late-1980s. Right in the wake of Tiananmen Massacre, Soros realizes just before the even that the political winds in Beijing are not going towards a neoliberal directions, and closes the operation.Wikileaks revelation of documents in 2010 revealed 251,287 US diplomatic cables, included hundreds of Chinese contacts, including PRC government and Party officials, academics and others, including 'strictly protected' individuals (spies). Among those revealed were three senior members of. the China Reform Forum: Ding Kuisong; Xue Fukang; and, Can Huayin - all equivalent senior deputy chiefs of MSS.The author also notes that MSS edit influence operations - like the PLAs - can draw out remarkably senior officers who might normally be expect to stay behind their desks. These individuals also maintain false names - names they may take even into retirement, hiding their long association in intelligence work. An example is Yu Fang - better known as Yu Enguang - is one example: a MSS Vice Minister. Yu travelled in many countries but may best be know now for his comments about how the U.S. "think tanks" are a revolving door for people and ideas, connecting governments to civil society and academia, (p. 129)Chapter 12 deals with Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and now president Biden - and a view into the future of MSS. Its had rough time since 2021, with widespread arrests of true PRC spies and MSS operatives. Agencies now recognize what its operations are. The revelations of Chinese "police stations" operating in the U.S. and several foreign countries on Jan. 12th - "tout the effectiveness of the offices, which are frequently called overseas police service centers. Some reports describe the Chinese outposts “collecting intelligence” and solving crimes abroad without collaborating with local officials." (New York Times). Some of. those operating within these stations are surely MSS operatives.In the late pages of the book, the author notes recent failures of the MSS - but also that of Western and other intelligence and analytical groups, in that "CCP's political influence mechanisms remain poorly understood, but. the situation was far worse in the past." (p. 191) The earlier academic and intelligence believe in "a thousand grains of sand" was the method of PRC intelligence fathering techniques, is debunked by the author. Lastly, the author notes: "When it comes to sharing intelligence on China, insular culture and political sensitivities have helped the MSS's influence operations flourish." (p. 194). Fortunately, the author views the changes of view in Australia and the U.S. are rapidly changing regarding the PRC and its leadership.The authors Notes section also includes extensive references to original Chinese language sources - a commendable part of the of the research done for this book.The number of front organizations that MSS uses (and used) is too numerous to detail in a review, but for those interested in Chinese intelligence, the book is a must.RECOMMENDED !

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    One of the best books on China out there
  

*by J***. on Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2023*

This book is one of the best books out there about China's intelligence service. I felt it could have been better written but the information it contains is to-die-for.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Spies and Lies
- ACTIVE MEASURES: THE SECRET HISTORY OF DISINFORMATION AND POLITICAL WARFARE

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*Last updated: 2026-03-22*