Chinese Espionage Operations and Tactics

About the Lecture:

China’s espionage activities are changing the global balance of power, impacting the U.S. and foreign economies, and providing challenges to domestic, national security, and foreign policy formulation. China’s “whole of society” intelligence approach provides a sophisticated and expanding global reach to target individuals for recruitment and collection. This briefing analyzes more than 865 cases of Chinese espionage operations and tactics including espionage, economic espionage, covert action, and illegal exports of technology. The briefing identifies tradecraft methodologies, recruitment motivations, and key indicators.

About the Speaker:

Nicholas Eftimiades is a professor of homeland security at Penn State University. He retired from the US Department of Defense in 2017. His 34 year government career includes employment in CIA, as a Special Agent in the US Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, and a Senior Intelligence Officer in Defense Intelligence Agency. Mr. Eftimiades held positions in analysis, human and technical intelligence collection, and leadership. He served overseas for 10 years.

Mr. Eftimiades is recognized as a leading authority on China and its espionage activities. His book Chinese Intelligence Operations was the first ever scholarly examination of the structure, operations, and methodology of the intelligence services of the People’s Republic of China. His recent book Chinese Espionage: Operations and Tactics (Second Edition) updates that work and is the most detailed account ever published on China’s intelligence operational tradecraft.

Eftimiades testified numerous times before Congress, as a certified expert in US courts, and advises government agencies and private industry. Nick is a frequent lecturer and public speaker on China and national security issues. He has appeared as an expert on dozens of television and radio broadcasts. He has been quoted in hundreds of newspapers and magazines across the world. He has taught over 1,000 US government counterintelligence officers and commercial industry insider threat specialists.

Mr. Eftimiades has an M.S. Strategic Intelligence, National Defense Intelligence College, and a B.A. East Asian Studies, George Washington University. He has lived and studied in Asia for five years. Mr. Eftimiades held senior appoints on the DoD Defense Science Board, DHS Homeland Security Advisory Council/Economic Security Subcommittee, and as an Intelligence Community Associate for the National Intelligence Council. Eftimiades was also a Senior Research Fellow for six years at King’s College War Studies Department, London UK.