NPR

Chinese Spies Tried To Recruit Him On LinkedIn. Now He's Preaching Constant Vigilance

Former diplomat Jonas Parello-Plesner says he experienced China's attempts of infiltrating the West first-hand, and that the country is expanding its influence around the world beyond traditional espionage.
According to former Danish diplomat Jonas Parello-Plesner, China is not only perfecting its espionage game, but also expanding its influence around the world through other means. (Fred Dufour/Getty Images)

For all the controversy surrounding Russian spies, one former diplomat says it’s China the U.S. should be worried about — and he knows from experience.

The federal government needs to be vigilant about the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party trying to influence people in the U.S., says Jonas Parello-Plesner, a former Danish diplomat who the Chinese failed to recruit.

Parello-Plesner is a fellow. He saw the subject he studies in practice in 2011 when the Chinese tried to recruit him through the professional networking platform LinkedIn.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min read
Tesla Recalls Cybertruck Over Sticky Problem. Blame It On — Yes — Soap
Accelerator pedals on the new Cybertrucks can get stuck, a potentially dangerous production flaw. The reason why they're so sticky is soap.
NPR1 min read
Amsterdam Was Flooded With Tourists In 2023, So It Won't Allow Any More Hotels
Twenty-six hotels that already have permits can move forward, but after that a hotel can only be built if one shuts down. Tourists spent about 20.7 million nights in Amsterdam hotels last year.
NPR11 min read
Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets' Is Written In Blood
With The Tortured Poets Department, the defining pop star of her era has made an album as messy and confrontational as any good girl's work can get.

Related Books & Audiobooks