Chinese state-run media outlets have recently pushed dramatic spy-catching stories into the public spotlight, including repeatedly amplifying a single, loosely detailed case across multiple platforms.
The reports—carried by outlets such as state broadcaster CCTV and Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-affiliated newspapers—cite disclosures from the national security apparatus. However, the case at the center of the propaganda campaign lacks key facts, and critics say it bears signs of fabrication.
According to an April 20 report by China Newsweek, a state-run magazine, a farmer surnamed Xie in a border region noticed a suspicious man hiding a backpack in tall grass while repeatedly looking toward the border. The farmer alerted others, contacted the police, then chased the man with a farm tool and intercepted him near the border fence.
Authorities later identified the suspect, the report states, as an employee with access to classified information who had allegedly been recruited by a foreign intelligence agency and was attempting to flee the country with sensitive materials.
However, the account did not specify when or where the incident occurred, nor did it identify the foreign agency involved.
Doubts Over Official Account
For some observers, the story’s gaps and its details raise doubts. Several China-based observers spoke to The Epoch Times on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal.
A former Chinese police investigator said the account does not align with how espionage cases typically unfold.
“Based on my experience, the entire sequence of events doesn’t make sense,” he said. “If this person really had access to highly classified material, why would he attempt to cross the border in such a dumb manner? That’s not how someone at that level would operate.”
He also questioned the claim that the suspect carried a backpack filled with physical documents.
“Operations like this are almost entirely digital now,” the former investigator said. “Information would be transmitted in advance or stored on encrypted devices; no one would risk carrying stacks of paper across a border—it guarantees immediate capture with evidence in hand.”
He further pointed out that the portrayal of the arrest itself is implausible.
“The idea that a villager with a shovel could stop someone affiliated with a foreign intelligence agency is hard to believe,” he said. “People in that position would typically have at least basic counter-surveillance awareness.”
Others who track the CCP’s information controls say the issue goes beyond inconsistencies in a single report.
A China-based insider familiar with the CCP’s propaganda practices told The Epoch Times that the regime rarely discloses genuine espionage cases.
“Real spy cases involve state secrets and legal sensitivities, so they are usually not made public,” he said.
The insider noted that the recent wave of reports appears coordinated.
The campaign began on about April 15—China’s annual National Security Education Day—and was rolled out in phases, according to the insider. State media outlets repeatedly republished similar stories across different platforms, reinforcing a consistent narrative.
“The timing and repetition are deliberate,” he said. “By circulating the same type of story through multiple channels, they shape public perception and create an atmosphere of vigilance—particularly directed at the United States and the West.”
Another dramatic counterespionage case has circulated across Chinese state media platforms, claiming that a ride-hailing driver helped detain two foreign spies outside a military compound—an account that has also drawn skepticism from analysts and insiders.
The story omitted key details, including the time and location of the incident, the identities of those involved, and the foreign government allegedly connected to the case.
Wang Xin contributed to this report.
