About this episode
It’s an open secret that the Chinese government has engaged in a global campaign to acquire intellectual property from foreign rivals. At the center of that campaign is the Ministry of State Security, China’s elusive intelligence agency. The US has apprehended hundreds of people accused of giving information to the MSS, but the agency’s inner workings have been a mystery — until now.
Today, we’re bringing you Episode 1 of The Sixth Bureau, a limited-run series from The Big Take. The series follows an MSS intelligence officer whose mission was to acquire the crown jewels of American aerospace companies. With aliases, blackmail and the occasional break-in, he targeted corporate giants. That is, until his sloppiness — and a cunning FBI sting — led to a stunning reversal: Xu Yanjun became the first Chinese intelligence officer ever convicted on American soil.
The Sixth Bureau is the story of superpowers, their secrets and how one Chinese spy got caught. The limited-run series will publish on Fridays in The Big Take.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Get every episode summarized
Each time Big Take Asia publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Big Take Asia
Deadly Flooding in Nepal Highlights Asia’s Climate Vulnerability
Big Take Asia
How Two-Minute Microdramas Became a Billion-Dollar Industry
Big Take Asia
The Unexpected Rise of North Korea’s Economy
Big Take Asia
The Chinese AI Model Rattling Silicon Valley and Washington
Big Take Asia