MSS or Ministry of State Security is a secret intelligence service of the People’s Republic of China, and its roots date back to the communist revolution of China in 1949. The creation of MSS was part of the overall restructuring of the Chinese Intelligence network soon after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. Established in 1983, MSS is responsible for collecting intelligence on domestic as well as foreign subjects that are related to China’s national security.
MSS was founded as a replacement to its predecessor the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Department for Social Affairs which was also called “Guoanbu”. MSS provided a more sophisticated apparatus for China’s intelligence network and was focused on intelligence gathering within and outside the country. At its inception, the MSS focused primarily on the protection of state secrets and preventing foreign espionage.
The MSS was initially a separate bureau under the State Council. However, It began to have an independent and expanding structure under the Chinese’s leadership. In fact, the MSS is now one of the four pillars or main bureaucracies governing China’s intelligence affairs, the other three being the PLA General Staff Department’s Third and Fourth Departments, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
MSS’s primary objective is to establish China’s superiority around the world by economical, political, and military means. The department has their own facilities and resources at their disposal which includes an internal network of spies, informants, and agents around the world.
The agency has experienced growth spurts over the past decade with the internet era and the opening up of global markets. It has enabled them to create big data intelligence systems which have enabled the Chinese Government to manage its people through big data analytics.
Its not to be confused with other Chinese intelligence agencies. MSS is just one of China’s intelligence services and it concentrates mainly on foreign intelligence gathering. Thus, MSS’s wealth of data is not restricted to collecting information from other governments and militaries, but also from foreign corporations, universities and NGOs that are situated in China. MSS agents have reportedly been active in Western countries attacking different companies and government agencies.
MSS has become one of China’s most powerful agencies as it has grown exponentially in the recent past. By collecting data and creating big data intelligence systems, MSS has become the perfect weapon for the Chinese government to symbolize its international presence. It ensures that they know the strengths and weaknesses of their political opponents and that enables them to craft policies and strategies that can supplement and push China’s domination in the global sphere. ***
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