Beijing’s Urgent Emphasis on ‘Covert Front Work’ Amid Speculation of Top Secret Military Leak to US

China's DF-41 nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles are seen during a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, on Oct. 1, 2019. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) recently held a meeting and emphasized the importance of “covert front work” of its secret agents amid speculation of military secrets being leaked to the United States.

According to China experts, when the CCP calls on relevant departments to strengthen espionage efforts, it indicates that something has gone wrong with its spy networks.

On July 14, the CCP held a National Security System Commendation Conference where Chen Wenqing, head of the Central Political and Legislative Affairs Commission, urged the CCP’s security organs at all levels to “faithfully perform their duties.”

Mr. Chen emphasized the CCP’s absolute leadership over national security work.

He demanded that the political and legislative affairs committees at all levels and relevant departments “attach great importance to and wholeheartedly support” the work of the “covert front work.”

Former Capital Normal University professor Li Yuanhua told The Epoch Times that he believes the purpose of the meeting is to give a boost to the CCP’s secret agents, both big shots and small fry, who are operating overseas.

“These people risk their lives to work for the CCP, but they do not get any glory on the surface,” Mr. Li.

“Now that the Western nations have become increasingly aware of the CCP’s spies and are uprooting them one by one, these people are frightened and see no hope, so some of them are unwilling to continue their work.

“The CCP is afraid that the spies it has nurtured for many years will no longer work for it, which is why it has made such a high-profile event this time.”

Zhou Hongxu (C), a Chinese student studying in Taiwan, was arrested there in March 2017 and sentenced to 14 months for attempting to recruit spies for China. Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images

China expert Ji Da told The Epoch Times that the agents’ activities are supposed to remain secret, but the CCP has publicized this line of work to such an extent that it has, on the contrary, lost its original covert nature.

“Why does the ‘covert front’ have to be publicized in such a high-profile and inconspicuous way? This is because the CCP wants to use the ‘covert front’—running the country through secret agents—to intimidate the commoners to the point that they feel that informers or secret agents are always watching them," Mr. Ji said.

“This in itself shows that the political climate of the CCP is very unstable.”

PLA Rocket Force Leak

Mr. Ji added that the underlying reason for convening such a meeting could be leaked documents from the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force which controls China’s nuclear and conventional missiles.

“The Rocket Force had all of its secrets leaked to the United States," he said.

“If there is a conflict between the CCP and the United States, the Rocket Force is the only force that rivals the U.S. military. If a war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, the first target the United States will want to defeat is the Rocket Force.

“The information leak has forced the CCP to increase its efforts in this area. According to the CCP’s usual practices, it emphasizes the need to strengthen its work only after problems have arisen, so it can be seen that there is something wrong with the intelligence system.”

Mr. Jia’s comments were made before reports that a new commander and a deputy to the Rocket Force were installed on Monday.

The Straits Times reported that rumors have been rife over the past several weeks that the forces’ chief, General Li Yuchao, had been taken away by the authorities in late June for suspected espionage concerning his son, who was studying in the United States.

Chinese Communist Party Military vehicles carrying DF-17 missiles participate in a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on October 1, 2019. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

The Rocket Force is often praised by CCP media as the “Ace card” of the military. Chinese leader Xi Jinping described it as the “core force” and “strategic support” of the CCP’s strategic deterrence in a speech in 2016.

On Oct. 24 last year, the U.S. Air Force University’s China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI) released a 255-page report (pdf) on the Rocket Force which covers a comprehensive range of information from the high command system to the logistics product bases.

Specific information includes the address of the base, the main functions of the unit, the Chinese and English names of those in charge, and the code numbers of each unit.

The report also includes a tree diagram showing the photos, names, and relationships of key personnel in charge of each department. In addition, it includes a map showing the deployment of the Rocket Force in various parts of China. The report even begins with a special section on how to decipher the code numbers of the units.

Yao Cheng, a former Chinese lieutenant colonel who still has connections in the military, told NTD TV’s Pinnacle View program that the detail in the report shocked him.

The Rocket Force is one of the most secretive units in the CCP, so the leak did not come from satellite photos, and the information is not available to lower-rank personnel because of internal secrecy rules, Mr. Yao said.

‘Spies Lack Loyalty’

U.S.-based current affairs commentator Chen Pokong said on his Youtube channel on July 18 that the CCP’s conference on the covert front seeks to call upon its spies to conduct their work well under the current special circumstances.

“On the surface, the conference honored some people as a means to cover up the major blunders in intelligence and espionage work,” he said.

“However, in reality, these spies lack loyalty; in their role as spies, they also function as double agents, constantly facing the possibility of being turned and striking back [at the CCP].

“No matter how much manpower, material, and financial resources the Chinese Communist Party has invested, the end result will be the same.”

Kane Zhang contributed to this report.