Ministry of State Security
Encyclopedia
The Ministry of State Security (MSS) (Simplified Chinese: 国家安全部; Traditional Chinese: 國家安全部; Pinyin
: Guójiā Ānquán Bù, or Guóānbù) is the security agency
of the People's Republic of China
. It is also probably the Chinese government's largest and most active foreign intelligence agency
, though it is also involved in domestic security matters.
Article 4 of the Criminal Procedure Law gives the MSS the same authority to arrest or detain people as regular police for crimes involving state security with identical supervision by the procuratorates and the courts. It is headquartered near the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
in Beijing
.
The precursor of the modern MSS was the Central Department of Social Affairs
(CDSA), the primary intelligence organ of the Communist Party of China
(CPC) before its accession to power in 1949. The CDSA operated from the communist base area of Yan'an
in Shaanxi
Province in northern China during the 1937–45 Second Sino-Japanese War
. The CDSA provided the CPC with assessments of the world situation based on news reports and furnished the Communists with intelligence that proved important in the 1946–49 Chinese Civil War
against the Nationalist forces. The CDSA was thoroughly reorganized in the summer of 1949. It ceased to exist in name, and some of its most prominent officers were transferred to senior positions in the new Ministry of Public Security of the CCP Central Revolutionary Military Affairs Commission (after the founding of the People’s Republic of China renamed the Ministry of Public Security
of the Central People’s Government). After an extended transition during which segments of the former CDSA came within the purview of the People’s Liberation Army, it was fully re-established as an organ directly under the communist party Central Committee in 1955, now with the new name Central Investigation Department (CID). The MSS was established in 1983 as the result of the merger of the CID and the counter-intelligence
elements of the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
. One of its longest-serving chiefs was Jia Chunwang
, a native of Beijing
and a 1964 graduate of Tsinghua University
, who is reportedly an admirer of the U.S.
Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA). He served as Minister of State Security from 1985 until March 1998, when the MSS underwent an overhaul and Xu Yongyue
was appointed the new head of the organization. Jia was then appointed to the Minister of Public Security
post, after a decade of distinguished service as head of the MSS.
Chinese intelligence agents, probably under the control of the MSS, have achieved success in penetrating the US intelligence community in the past. In the 1980s, Larry Wu-Tai Chin
(Jin Wudai), a translator for the CIA's Foreign Broadcast Information Service
, was arrested and charged with espionage in the service of the PRC. He had been recruited in 1944 while stationed in China as a US Army officer and went undetected for four decades. More recently, in 2003, Chinese-American
Federal Bureau of Investigation
source and Republican Party
fundraiser Katrina Leung
was arrested and accused of being a double agent
for both the FBI and the Chinese government, although she was acquitted of charges of copying classified information, and convicted only of tax charges and of lying to the FBI.
In March 2009 former MSS operative Li Fengzhi told the Washington Times in an interview that the MSS was engaged in counterintelligence, the collection of secrets and technology from other countries, and repressing internal dissent within China. The internal repression, according to Li, includes efforts against nonofficial Christian churches and the outlawed Falun Gong
religious group, plus censoring the Internet to prevent China's population from knowing what is going on outside the country. Li emphasized that MSS's most important mission is, "to control the Chinese people to maintain the rule of the Communist Party."
, Secretary-General
of the Commission for Politics and Law under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
and Minister of Public Security, the mission of the MSS is to ensure "the security of the state through effective measures against enemy agents, spies, and counter-revolutionary activities designed to sabotage or overthrow China's socialist system." One of the primary missions of the MSS is reportedly to gather foreign intelligence from targets in various countries overseas. Many MSS agents are said to have operated in the Greater China
region (Hong Kong
, Macau
, and Taiwan
) and to have integrated themselves into the world's numerous overseas Chinese
communities. At one point, nearly 120 agents who had been operating under non-official cover in the U.S., Canada
, Western and Northern Europe
, and Japan
as businessmen, bankers, scholars, and journalists were recalled to China, a fact that demonstrates the broad geographical scope of MSS agent coverage.
. They are:
And other offices:
MSS personnel are trained at the University of International Relations
(guoji guanxi xueyuan).
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Guójiā Ānquán Bù, or Guóānbù) is the security agency
Security agency
A security agency is a governmental organization which conducts intelligence activities for the internal security of a nation. They are the domestic cousins of foreign intelligence agencies...
of the People's Republic of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It is also probably the Chinese government's largest and most active foreign intelligence agency
Intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering for purposes of national security and defence. Means of information gathering may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public...
, though it is also involved in domestic security matters.
Article 4 of the Criminal Procedure Law gives the MSS the same authority to arrest or detain people as regular police for crimes involving state security with identical supervision by the procuratorates and the courts. It is headquartered near the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Public Security , is the principal police and security authority of the mainland of the People's Republic of China and the government agency that exercises oversight over and is ultimately responsible for day-to-day law enforcement...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
History
Central Department of Social Affairs
The Central Department of Social Affairs was the intelligence & counter-intelligence organ of the Chinese Communist Party leadership prior to the founding of the PRC in 1949.-History:...
(CDSA), the primary intelligence organ of the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
(CPC) before its accession to power in 1949. The CDSA operated from the communist base area of Yan'an
Yan'an
Yan'an , is a prefecture-level city in the Shanbei region of Shaanxi province in China, administering several counties, including Zhidan County , which served as the Chinese communist capital before the city of Yan'an proper took that role....
in Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
Province in northern China during the 1937–45 Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
. The CDSA provided the CPC with assessments of the world situation based on news reports and furnished the Communists with intelligence that proved important in the 1946–49 Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
against the Nationalist forces. The CDSA was thoroughly reorganized in the summer of 1949. It ceased to exist in name, and some of its most prominent officers were transferred to senior positions in the new Ministry of Public Security of the CCP Central Revolutionary Military Affairs Commission (after the founding of the People’s Republic of China renamed the Ministry of Public Security
Ministry of Public Security
Ministry of Public Security can refer to:* Ministry of Public Security of Burundi* Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China* Ministry of Public Security of Costa Rica* Ministry of Public Security of Israel...
of the Central People’s Government). After an extended transition during which segments of the former CDSA came within the purview of the People’s Liberation Army, it was fully re-established as an organ directly under the communist party Central Committee in 1955, now with the new name Central Investigation Department (CID). The MSS was established in 1983 as the result of the merger of the CID and the counter-intelligence
Counter-intelligence
Counterintelligence or counter-intelligence refers to efforts made by intelligence organizations to prevent hostile or enemy intelligence organizations from successfully gathering and collecting intelligence against them. National intelligence programs, and, by extension, the overall defenses of...
elements of the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Public Security , is the principal police and security authority of the mainland of the People's Republic of China and the government agency that exercises oversight over and is ultimately responsible for day-to-day law enforcement...
. One of its longest-serving chiefs was Jia Chunwang
Jia Chunwang
Jia Chunwang was the former Procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, a post equivalent to Attorney General in the United States.-Biography:Jia served several important posts before reaching the position...
, a native of Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and a 1964 graduate of Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...
, who is reportedly an admirer of the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
(CIA). He served as Minister of State Security from 1985 until March 1998, when the MSS underwent an overhaul and Xu Yongyue
Xu Yongyue
Xu Yongyue was the Minister of State Security of the People's Republic of China and is a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China .He graduated from Beijing People's Public Security School...
was appointed the new head of the organization. Jia was then appointed to the Minister of Public Security
Minister of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
The Minister of Public Security of the People's Republic of China is a high level official of the PRC government. The minister is in charge of the Ministry of Public Security of the PRC, which is responsible for law enforcement, public safety and the police force in China...
post, after a decade of distinguished service as head of the MSS.
Chinese intelligence agents, probably under the control of the MSS, have achieved success in penetrating the US intelligence community in the past. In the 1980s, Larry Wu-Tai Chin
Larry Wu-Tai Chin
Larry Wu-tai Chin was a former Chinese language translator working for the CIA's Foreign Broadcast Information Service...
(Jin Wudai), a translator for the CIA's Foreign Broadcast Information Service
Foreign Broadcast Information Service
Foreign Broadcast Information Service was an open source intelligence component of the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Science and Technology. It monitored, translated, and disseminated within the U.S. government openly available news and information from media sources outside the...
, was arrested and charged with espionage in the service of the PRC. He had been recruited in 1944 while stationed in China as a US Army officer and went undetected for four decades. More recently, in 2003, Chinese-American
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
source and Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
fundraiser Katrina Leung
Katrina Leung
Katrina Leung was a former high value Federal Bureau of Investigation and PRC Ministry of State Security agent who, on April 9, 2003, was indicted by the United States Department of Justice for "Unauthorized Copying of National Defense Information with Intent to Injure or Benefit a Foreign...
was arrested and accused of being a double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
for both the FBI and the Chinese government, although she was acquitted of charges of copying classified information, and convicted only of tax charges and of lying to the FBI.
In March 2009 former MSS operative Li Fengzhi told the Washington Times in an interview that the MSS was engaged in counterintelligence, the collection of secrets and technology from other countries, and repressing internal dissent within China. The internal repression, according to Li, includes efforts against nonofficial Christian churches and the outlawed Falun Gong
Falun Gong
Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline first introduced in China in 1992 by its founder, Li Hongzhi, through public lectures. It combines the practice of meditation and slow-moving qigong exercises with the moral philosophy...
religious group, plus censoring the Internet to prevent China's population from knowing what is going on outside the country. Li emphasized that MSS's most important mission is, "to control the Chinese people to maintain the rule of the Communist Party."
Mission
According to Liu FuzhiLiu Fuzhi
Liu Fuzhi was the Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China.-Biography:Liu was born in Mei County, Meizhou, Guangdong...
, Secretary-General
Secretary-General
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
of the Commission for Politics and Law under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is the highest authority within the Communist Party of China. Its approximately 350 members and alternates are selected once every five years by the National Party Congress....
and Minister of Public Security, the mission of the MSS is to ensure "the security of the state through effective measures against enemy agents, spies, and counter-revolutionary activities designed to sabotage or overthrow China's socialist system." One of the primary missions of the MSS is reportedly to gather foreign intelligence from targets in various countries overseas. Many MSS agents are said to have operated in the Greater China
Greater China
Greater China is a term used to refer to mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. As a "phrase of the moment", the precise meaning is not entirely clear, and people may use it for only the commercial ties, only the cultural actions, or even as a euphemism for the Two Chinas, while others may...
region (Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
) and to have integrated themselves into the world's numerous overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
communities. At one point, nearly 120 agents who had been operating under non-official cover in the U.S., Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Western and Northern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as businessmen, bankers, scholars, and journalists were recalled to China, a fact that demonstrates the broad geographical scope of MSS agent coverage.
Agency heads
Agency heads are known as Minister of State Security (MSS), reporting directly to the State CouncilState Council of the People's Republic of China
The State Council of the People's Republic of China , which is largely synonymous with the Central People's Government after 1954, is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the Premier and includes the heads of each governmental department and agency...
. They are:
- Ling YunLing Yun (PRC politician)Ling Yun , born as Wu Peilin , is a former politician of the People's Republic of China, the first PRC Minister of State Security.-Biography:...
(凌云), 1983–1985 - Jia ChunwangJia ChunwangJia Chunwang was the former Procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, a post equivalent to Attorney General in the United States.-Biography:Jia served several important posts before reaching the position...
, 1985–1998 - Xu YongyueXu YongyueXu Yongyue was the Minister of State Security of the People's Republic of China and is a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China .He graduated from Beijing People's Public Security School...
, 1998–2007 - Geng HuichangGeng HuichangGeng Huichang , is the Minister of State Security of the People's Republic of China.-Biography:He originates from Hebei.In 1985 he became deputy director of the Institute of International Relations. In 1990 he was promoted to director...
, 2007–present
Organization
The MSS is divided into bureaus, which at one point were:- First Bureau: Domestic Affairs
- Second Bureau: Foreign Affairs
- Third Bureau: Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, MacauMacauMacau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
and TaiwanRepublic of ChinaThe Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor... - Fourth Bureau: Technology
- Fifth Bureau: Local Intelligence
- Sixth Bureau: Counterintelligence
- Seventh Bureau: Circulation
- Eighth Bureau: Research (China Institute of Contemporary International Relations)
- Ninth Bureau: Anti-Defection and CountersurveillanceCountersurveillanceCountersurveillance refers to measures undertaken to prevent surveillance, including covert surveillance. Countersurveillance may include electronic methods such as bug sweeping, the process of detecting surveillance devices, including covert listening devices and visual surveillance devices...
- Tenth Bureau: Scientific and Technological Information
- Personnel and Education Bureau
- Supervision and Auditing Bureau
And other offices:
- General Office
- Political Department
- Party Committee
MSS personnel are trained at the University of International Relations
University of International Relations
University of International Relations is an institute of higher education located in Beijing that was first established in 1949 to train foreign affairs cadres...
(guoji guanxi xueyuan).
See also
- Chinese intelligence activity in other countriesChinese intelligence activity in other countriesChinese intelligence is believed to be highly active outside of the People's Republic of China. China is the largest intelligence collector in the Netherlands, as well as in several other EU countries, and one of the top five intelligence collectors in the United States...
- Chinese Intelligence Operations in the United StatesChinese intelligence operations in the United StatesThe People's Republic of China has and is currently using a widespread effort to acquire U.S. military technology and classified information. To fulfill its long-term military development goals, the PRC uses a variety of methods to obtain U.S. technology; including espionage, the exploitation of...
External links
- Ministry of State Security, Intelligence Resource Program, Federation of American ScientistsFederation of American ScientistsThe Federation of American Scientists is a nonpartisan, 501 organization intent on using science and scientific analysis to attempt make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1945 by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bombs...
(Last updated since 1997) - Ministry of State Security at GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
(Last updated 2007)