Chinese Threat Requires a Broader Spying Mission, C.I.A. Deputy Director Says (Gift Article)

Michael Ellis, the deputy director of the CIA, acknowledged in unusually candid terms that the U.S. spies on Chinese companies and that economic competition with Beijing has broadened the spy agency's mission. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/u...

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/u...

Chinese Threat Requires a Broader Spying Mission, C.I.A. Deputy Director Says www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/u...

“China’s economic competition with the United States makes Chinese companies a legitimate target, the agency’s deputy director, Michael Ellis, said at a conference.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/u...

www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/u...

“U.S. officials, however, have long privately acknowledged that it can be difficult to define what constitutes legitimate espionage. But they have traditionally not said so publicly.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/u...

‘The United States is engaging in a broader range of espionage against China, including Chinese companies, to address the country’s status as both a military and an economic threat, the deputy C.I.A. director, Michael Ellis, said on Tuesday.’ www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/u...