You should read the Foreign Policy article they reference instead. https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/12/21/china-stolen-us-data-ex...

I did it 2 days ago.

Did you disagree with the FP reporting?

Not in spirit, but say China doesn't need any "data superpower" to make US spies to work their pay.

I'm 100% certain that China has many more spies in US than vice versa, and that America haven't ever penetrated into serious high up Chinese elites, whether they were corrupt, or not because of Chinese secret police.

There are credible reports of ‘serious high up Chinese elites’ families seeking advice at the Swiss embassy in Beijing during the 1989 upheaval. If that dynamic still exists, they don’t necessarily need to be compromised by insiders to have information leak to American intelligence.

>99% Chinese officials who don't know anything, and don't decide anything

Basically. But I think "long-term thinking" implies grooming was suppose to eventually develop into useful assets if corruption culture persisted. Even if unlikely. Hence one motive, likely small but still significant - few dozen execution of CIA assets among million+ disciplined by CCDI. Along with "notable professionalizing of the Ministry of State Security" implying domestic counter-intelligence was previously lackluster, likely at lower levels. At least my experience in the 90s. Dinners with gossipy staff from JingXi. MSS officers chatty at weddings. One would hope opsec has improved since.