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The Central Intelligence Agency known as CIA is intensifying its recruitment drives within China. The US officials believe discontent is mounting against Xi's policies and are encouraging Chinese citizens to engage with them covertly. The US investing heavily in defense and intelligence, its budget still significantly exceeds those of China and Russia. For fiscal year 2024, the total U.S. defense budget, including expenditures for the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies, is approximately $944 billion. This total comprises about $842 billion for the Department of Defense alone, plus $72.4 billion allocated for the National Intelligence Program and an additional $29.3 billion for the Military Intelligence Program. In contrast, Russia's defense budget for the same year is projected to be between $130 billion and $140 billion. Meanwhile, China's military expenditure for 2023 was reported by SIPRI to be around $224 billion. These figures highlight the disparity in defense spending between the U.S. and its two major global rivals. In other words, China and Russia’s military budget are 1/5th to 1/8th of that of the US. On various social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Telegram, and X, the CIA released guidelines in Chinese on Wednesday, outlining secure methods for individuals to establish contact through both its public-facing and encrypted dark web portals. According to CIA Deputy Director David Cohen, there are many within China who are increasingly disillusioned with Xi's leadership and see collaboration with the U.S. as a way to benefit their nation. The Biden administration has found it particularly challenging to penetrate the opaque layers of the Chinese government, lamenting a lack of quality intelligence on Xi's closest advisors. This lack of transparency is becoming more problematic as tensions escalate over key issues such as Taiwan and technology transfer, necessitating deeper insights into China's political maneuvers. None of these actions by the US are new. Espionage has been a major source of dissatisfaction with the United States among countries in the Global South, which have often suffered as a result of U.S. spying activities. Let's now explore the history of U.S. interference in the internal affairs of other nations.
