China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) has strongly criticized the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for what it called an "absurd" and "amateurish" attempt to recruit Chinese citizens through videos posted on the social media platform X.

The campaign, characterized as a blatant espionage effort, was dismissed by Chinese authorities as a strategic blunder.

In a statement on its official WeChat account, the MSS described the CIA's job advertisements as "painstakingly crafted" but ultimately "riddled with clumsy rhetoric and slanderous claims," asserting that the recruitment effort exposed the "paranoid delusions" of American intelligence agencies and mocked the CIA for turning itself into "an international laughingstock."

CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that the videos, which surfaced last month, aimed to encourage Chinese officials to share state secrets with the United States. However, the Chinese government quickly condemned the posts, calling them a "naked political provocation."

Chinese public reaction and online mockery

The MSS's critique became one of the most discussed topics on China's X-like Weibo platform, with many users ridiculing the CIA's efforts. One user sarcastically suggested, "Can we organise a group of scammers to carry out a telecom fraud against the CIA? We can trick the US and make a little money at the same time."

Espionage tensions between the United States and China are longstanding. In April, Chinese security officials said three US secret agents were involved in cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games held in Harbin.

A month earlier, the MSS announced the sentencing to death of a former engineer who was convicted of leaking state secrets to a foreign power.

The MSS reaffirmed on Wednesday its commitment to safeguarding China’s strategic interests and core secrets. It warned the CIA that "any attempt to incite betrayal among the Chinese people is doomed to fail," emphasizing that all infiltration attempts will be futile.

Read next: Chinese top spy agency exposes espionage case involving UK's MI6

On a related note, earlier this month, Taiwanese authorities indicted two former government aides, including one closely tied to President Lai Ching-te, over allegations of leaking classified national security information to China.

The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office announced that a former aide from President Lai’s office and a secretary who previously worked with former Foreign Minister Joseph Wu were formally charged under the Classified National Security Information Protection Act.