Chinese newspaper applauds reported 'anti-espionage' killing of CIA sources

[mark fromelko]

Source: The Guardian

Reuters
Monday 22 May 2017 02.18 EDT

An influential state-run newspaper has applauded China’s anti-espionage efforts after the New York Times said China had killed or imprisoned up to 20 CIA sources, hobbling US spying operations in a massive intelligence breach.

The Chinese killed at least a dozen people providing information to the US Central Intelligence Agency between 2010 and 2012, dismantling a network that was years in the making, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

China’s Global Times, published by the official People’s Daily, said in an editorial in its Chinese and English-language editions that, if true, it was a victory for China.

“If this article is telling the truth, we would like to applaud China’s anti-espionage activities. Not only was the CIA’s spy network dismantled, but Washington had no idea what happened and which part of the spy network had gone wrong,” the paper said.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/22/chinese-newspaper-applauds-reported-anti-espionage-killing-of-cia-sources

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I'm fully expecting Orange Sphincter's reaction to be, "Hey, we kill people too!"

[BumRushDaShow]

1. Here is a link to the NY Times article the Guardian references

Killing C.I.A. Informants, China Crippled U.S. Spying Operations

WASHINGTON — The Chinese government systematically dismantled C.I.A. spying operations in the country starting in 2010, killing or imprisoning more than a dozen sources over two years and crippling intelligence gathering there for years afterward.

Current and former American officials described the intelligence breach as one of the worst in decades. It set off a scramble in Washington’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies to contain the fallout, but investigators were bitterly divided over the cause. Some were convinced that a mole within the C.I.A. had betrayed the United States. Others believed that the Chinese had hacked the covert system the C.I.A. used to communicate with its foreign sources. Years later, that debate remains unresolved.

But there was no disagreement about the damage. From the final weeks of 2010 through the end of 2012, according to former American officials, the Chinese killed at least a dozen of the C.I.A.’s sources. According to three of the officials, one was shot in front of his colleagues in the courtyard of a government building — a message to others who might have been working for the C.I.A.

Still others were put in jail. All told, the Chinese killed or imprisoned 18 to 20 of the C.I.A.’s sources in China, according to two former senior American officials, effectively unraveling a network that had taken years to build.

<...>

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/20/world/asia/china-cia-spies-espionage.html

[left-of-center2012]

2. Did Trump tip off the Chinese President?

We know he likes to brag.
"Do you want to hear a secret?"

[Hortensis]

3. 2010-2012. But finding the dates was my first response.

A tragedy. Wonder what their purpose is in revealing this now. There will be a purpose, of course.

[karynnj]

4. My guess at the purpose -- to claim that the Obama administration was incompetent

This may be the same theme they hope for in the middle east. Obama created a 68 nation coalition to fight ISIS. When he left office, it had already been predicted that all of Mosul would fall within about 3 - 6 months, and then Raqqa would fall, eliminating any area controlled by ISIS. We know that he delayed the Raqqa attack because of Flynn. Since 2014, steady progress was made with people from the areas won back returning and the US/Norway helping with the demining of the areas.

I assume that Mattis is following pretty much the same working game plan, but this weekend we heard Trump speak of his "historic" summit and the US/SA center to fight terrorism. It seems clear to me that when Mosul falls, and again when Raqqa falls, we will hear how this happened due to the military and diplomatic brilliance of Trump. (This morning, we are hearing of how he is respected in the Middle East and he and his people are saying Obama wasn't. Needless to say, it was Obama who did the heavy lifting on leading the coalition in 2014, when ISIS was advancing.)

Trump's spin is that Obama was not respected in the Middle East and that he harmed US interests.

There is some reporting that questions the fact that selling weapons that Obama held back because of SA attacks on civilians in Yemen and his moving to lead the Sunni nations against Iran. USA Today actually has a very good editorial. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/05/21/saudi-arabia-trump-turns-sunni-editorials-debates/101986698/ Where Obama left us on track to remove ISIS, Trump is actually lining up for a bigger war even as he speaks "peace".

There is nothing more NEO CON than pushing for a war against Iran. Where many articles speak of Trump moderating his campaign rhetoric in Saudi Arabia, I saw few that called him out for having run against fears that HRC was too hawkish! He is not just the "puppet" as HRC said, but he may be the leader of the "neocons".

[Hortensis]

6. Of course you're correct about Obama--our right turns birthday cake

and puppies into weapons against the left, so definitely this. The rest I'm really afraid is correct. This new organization against terrorism that focuses on military action and ignores the benefits of diminishing root causes.


But in this case I was wondering for what purpose the Chinese are releasing this information now.
Is it a simple warning, against ...what? A move that's part of something far more complex? Probably should go scan Foreign Affairs for clues to fun guesses. I've been mostly ignoring foreign affairs for a couple weeks now, and, timewise, that'd be about 14 times more than it'd take to put a president who ignored intelligence briefings hopelessly out of the loop, if that hadn't been his normal state to begin with of course.

[karynnj]

8. I doubt the Chinese were the source for the NYT

They are reacting to the NYT making this public. I wonder if it is connected to the recent arrest of a long time State Department person.https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/state-department-employee-arrested-and-charged-concealing-extensive-contacts-foreign-agents

It might be that until she was arrested, neither country had a reason to leak the story. It was obviously a devastating story for us - both as people died and we had a mole they couldn't find - and for China, until she was charged - if she is the one who gave the info on the spies - they would have a big reason for staying silent.

[Hortensis]

9. You're right. This is the problem with taking quick looks

while working. I just saw the Chinese newspaper, because many unofficial statements are made that way, and ran with that.

[Demsrule86]

5. Trump strikes again...I wonder what Judas was paid for the information that destroyed our intel...

and people's very lives.

[Bradical79]

7. The breach was years ago -nt