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Chinese spy who defected tells all

Says mission is to 'control'

Bill Gertz (Contact)
Thursday, March 19, 2009

EXCLUSIVE:

A veteran Chinese intelligence officer who defected to the United States says that his country's civilian spy service spends most of its time trying to steal secrets overseas but also works to bolster Beijing's Communist Party rule by repressing religious and political dissent internally.

"In some sense you can say that intelligence work between two countries is just like war but without the fire," Li Fengzhi told The Washington Times in an interview aided by an interpreter.

Mr. Li worked for years as an Ministry of State Security intelligence officer inside China before defecting to the United States, where is he awaiting a response to his request for political asylum. He gave a rare, detailed interview to The Times on Sunday regarding the activities of the MSS, China's Communist-controlled civilian spy agency.

His prior work as a Chinese spy was confirmed to The Times by a Western government source familiar with his defection. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of Mr. Li's case.

Mr. Li told The Times that the MSS focuses on both counterintelligence - working against foreign intelligence agencies - and the collection of secrets and technology.

The MSS, however, is unique from other nations' intelligence services in that it is patterned after the former Soviet Union's KGB political police. Its most important mission is "to control the Chinese people to maintain the rule of the Communist Party," he added.

Wang Baodong, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, did not address Mr. Li's comments directly but repeated past Chinese government statements regarding its intelligence activities.

"Allegations of China conducting spying activities against the United States are groundless and unwarranted," he said Wednesday. "China never engages itself in activities that will harm other countries' national interests."

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Comments 1 - 20 of 21

  • By: fyweb

    Watch out. This guy is trying to get into CIA for a sting operation. He tries to use the "defect" to gain trust of the US government to operate inside CIA.

    March 20, 2009 at 12:47 a.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: Subby

    What if only SOME things the prophet spoketh cameth to pass? And some of it arguableth? What of Nostradamus?
    Phooey.
    Why can'teth God speaketh directlyeth anymore? And don't give that still small voice crap. That's not in the scripture anywhere.
    I can appreciate He doesn't want to push us around directly, but...this is all very weird to tell us not to listen to anybody but prophet's HE's appointed, but then won't tell us who the heck He appointed!
    And anyhow, are we STILL looking at a book that hasn't been updated in a few thousand years??

    March 19, 2009 at 7:27 p.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: MindTinker

    Deu 18:20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in My Name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall be destroyed.

    Deu 18:21 And if you ask in your heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?

    Deu 18:22 When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing spoken by the prophet does not follow, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken, but the prophet has spoken it presumptuously: you shall not take heed of that prophet.

    March 19, 2009 at 6:15 p.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: InsiderInfo

    Obama In Prophecy!

    An American Nightmare & A Dilemma For The Whole World!

    This Is A Must Read Folks!

    http://www.prophecies.org

    March 19, 2009 at 5:47 p.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: MindTinker

    *
    TacoRag wrote "they could be inserted into any article/comment."
    ___

    Taco, do you come around here very much? RoadWarrior DOES insert them into any and all articles. The text is always the same and the link always goes to some travel advertisement. He's self-indulging himself with his own weird sense of humor. Mark him as offensive if you want. Maybe he will get kicked out for a while, but he will be back under a different name. Or, you can just ignore him. He is harmless. Apparently the only person who will play with him is himself.
    *

    March 19, 2009 at 5:25 p.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: TacoRag

    I agree about marking RoadWarrior's comments as offensive. Further they comments are more like spam. (Notice how gerneral the comments are ... they could be inserted into any article/comment.)

    They are totally unhelpful for this forum's purpose.

    March 19, 2009 at 4:40 p.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: far right

    Now wait a minute. Shame on all of you who think the road warrior is wrong. All of you free speaking Americans I mean people have no right to judge him or his political views. You are all wrong. We liberals owe everything to the communist I mean peaceful Chinese government. They were nice enough to launder I mean donate seven million dollars into the democratic national committee during the Clinton administration. And by the way the films of teanimen square were doctored by the Bush administration.

    March 19, 2009 at 4:35 p.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: yankee

    you notice that no one ever defects away from the United States? course, that may change with this administration...

    March 19, 2009 at 4:25 p.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: ds80

    I recommend that we mark all of RoadWarrior's posts as offensive.

    March 19, 2009 at 4:05 p.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: MindTinker

    *
    ScottinVA, you're right. Most of us learned a long while ago to ignore him. He is like the park pigeons, constantly pecking around but not really too annoying.
    *

    March 19, 2009 at 3:31 p.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: RoadWarrior

    Wait a gosh darn second there folks! You need to hear both sides to a story before making up your mind. Read the Link below before you formulate an opinion on this. I think you will find it illuminating to say the least.

    http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

    March 19, 2009 at 2:43 p.m.

  • By: ScottinVA

    This clown, RoadWarrior, keeps spamming these blogs with supposed additional info on the topic, but it always leads to an advertisement page. I think he gets a commission on hits to the page.

    I recommend that we ignore him.

    March 19, 2009 at 1:50 p.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: RoadWarrior

    Say what!? Are you kidding me? Are you serious? Don't believe everything that you hear. There is more to this story than what meets the eye. Read the link below before formulating an opinion on this. It may just surprise you a bit!

    http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

    March 19, 2009 at 11:22 a.m.

  • By: MindTinker

    *
    Thus wrote unityclaire, "And just think how much Pres. Bush indebted us to these communists!"
    _________________

    Just think how much president Sotero is IMBEDDING us with these communists! His administration appointments are full of them (as well as with other dispicable characters). Most recently with his nomination for Commerce Secretary - Gary Locke - who has historic ties to shady dealings with Communist China. As Sotero said last Saturday, while he was giving away more high-end missile technology secrets to the Red Chinese Military regime, "China should have 'absolute confidence' that its sizable investments in the United States are safe" .
    http://www.qatar-tribune.com/data/200903...
    *

    March 19, 2009 at 10:21 a.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: NavyBrat

    Mr. Li better watch out. Chas Freeman might find out where he's being kept from Rahm Emmanuel. Then he can tell his Chicom buddies where to find this guys so as to silence him.

    All kidding aside, great article. G*d bless & keep Mr. Li & his family safe. They are truly brave people.

    March 19, 2009 at 9:37 a.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: websurfer

    Obama has already given China a gift for buying treasury bills. There is no need for spies when the President gives the technology to China.

    President Obama on Tuesday issued a waiver of a 1999 defense export-control law that will allow the transfer of U.S. high-technology goods to China.

    Mr. Obama stated in a notice to Congress that fine-grain graphite and aircraft composite gear will not ..."measurably improve [China's] missile and space launch capabilities."

    March 19, 2009 at 3:25 a.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: websurfer

    The debt Obama is trying to sell the Chinese dwarfs any generated during Bush's administration. There is going to be another trillion this year alone.

    Obama already has us so much in the hole that the Chinese are telling Obama to watch his budget because they are not happy with the declining dollar...

    March 19, 2009 at 3:19 a.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: dursse3

    Rated 5/5

    Think of the valuable missile guidance technology provided to Chi-Comm military by Bill Clinton's friend Bernie Schwartz of Loral Space, during Pres Clinton's terms in office.

    March 18, 2009 at 11:09 p.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: TWOTIMETUNA

    and ovomit keeps running up the deficit while the chinese own more and more of the US treasury. The chickens will come home to roost soon and we will be owned by the chinese.

    March 18, 2009 at 10:33 p.m.  | Mark as Offensive

  • By: Jaeger

    Rated 4/5

    A fascinating look into the little known world of Chinese intelligence ops.

    I predict that, unfortunately, as a result of America's sad dependency upon the People's Republic of China to support its profligate fiscal irresponsibility, our national leaders will pressure our counter-intelligence personnel to overlook and downplay Chinese espionage activities to avoid offending China. They will do this to avoid a refusal of China to participate in U.S. treasury bond auctions which would be a disaster for America's economy.

    In so doing, America will have had yet another piece of its sovereignty and independence lost by our politicians' stupidity, incontinence, and short-sightedness.

    March 18, 2009 at 9:59 p.m.  | Mark as Offensive

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  • PETER LOCKLEY/THE WASHINGTON TIMES Li Fengzhi, who worked for years as a Ministry of State Security intelligence officer inside China, is in the U.S. awaiting political asylum.PETER LOCKLEY/THE WASHINGTON TIMES DEFECTED: Li Fengzhi, a veteran Chinese intelligence officer, says the agency is patterned after the Soviet KGB.

    PETER LOCKLEY/THE WASHINGTON TIMES Li Fengzhi, who worked for years as a Ministry of State Security intelligence officer inside China, ...

  • ASSOCIATED PRESS Wang Baodong, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, calls allegations of Chinese spying "groundless and unwarranted."

    ASSOCIATED PRESS Wang Baodong, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, calls allegations of Chinese spying "groundless and unwarranted."

  • PETER LOCKLEY/THE WASHINGTON TIMES Li Fengzhi, who worked for years as a Ministry of State Security intelligence officer inside China, is in the U.S. awaiting political asylum.

    PETER LOCKLEY/THE WASHINGTON TIMES Li Fengzhi, who worked for years as a Ministry of State Security intelligence officer inside China, ...

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