How curious that despite its technological capabilities, China’s four spy bases in Cuba did not appear to pick up on U.S. plans to seize their ally Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.
Former intelligence official and China expert Nick Eftimiades tells me that this was “a failure of Chinese intelligence,” that they clearly did not see it coming.
“Maybe they thought it was popping another go-fast boat,” Nick said, referring to the numerous bombings on alleged drug boats in the region. He believes Chinese officials would have warned Maduro, had they known.
It is also puzzling because a buildup of U.S. ships would probably heighten the interest of Chinese intelligence services, a second former intelligence official tells me.
Another mystery is why Xi Jinping decided to remove and investigate Gen. Zhang Youxia, China’s top general, in the midst of a major military purge.
I think my colleagues at SpyTalk were correct in reporting that accusations of Zhang sharing nuclear secrets with the U.S. amounts to disinformation. The allegation serves to isolate Zhang from receiving support. He had the military authority to potentially challenge Xi.
Analyst K. Tristan Tang of the Jamestown Foundation described how Zhang and Xi had disagreed on when China would be capable of invading Taiwan, with Zhang estimating around 2035, not 2027 as Xi wanted. In addition, 2026 was supposed to be the year to finalize training for joint operations according to Xi’s ambitions, Tang noted.
In other news, about two weeks ago the CIA put out a slick new video to recruit more sources in China. “The CIA wants to know the truth about China, and we are looking for trustworthy individuals who know and can share that truth,” the agency wrote. “The information you possess may be more valuable than you think.”
More details in the video.
