The Sixth Bureau, Episode 1: Your Friend From Nanjing

What It Covers

The FBI's first successful arrest and prosecution of a Chinese Ministry of State Security intelligence officer, Xu Yanjun, who ran global operations to steal American jet engine technology. The case reveals unprecedented details about Chinese espionage operations through thousands of pages of internal documents.

Key Questions Answered

• •Undercover recruitment operation: FBI agents posed as Chinese MSS contacts to approach Ji Chaochun, using code phrases like "friend from Nanjing" and news of his handler's arrest to establish trust, then provided a monitored phone to track his communications and activities going forward.
• •MSS jet engine espionage priority: China designated jet engine technology as a national priority for the Ministry of State Security to acquire, as only a few countries can manufacture advanced engines. The MSS deployed Xu Yanjun to run a multi-year global network targeting American aerospace companies.
• •Intelligence goldmine from captured officer: The arrest produced several terabytes of data including emails, chats, classified documents, and Xu's personal diary detailing his operations and feelings. This represents the first time the US obtained comprehensive internal records from an active MSS staff officer.
• •Scale of Chinese technology theft: Chinese espionage operations inside the United States constitute one of the largest wealth transfers in human history, systematically stealing American technology to give Chinese companies competitive advantages that drive US businesses into bankruptcy and advance China's goal of replacing American superpower status.