prosecute Chinese operatives for their behaviour, it also gave an insight into how the MSS operates. Over three indictments, officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed some of the tradecraft used by the MSS. The indictments showed how the MSS pushed much of its operational responsibilities down to a provincial level, in a similar manner to how the Communist Party does with most government functions.

In this case it was the Province of Jiangsu, outside Shanghai, which was charged with stealing proprietary technology for a “turbofan engine used in commercial jetliners”. Geography was the main determinant. Given the French-US joint venture had a factory in the province the Jiangsu State Security Department (JSSD), a regional branch of the MSS, which was tasked with the job. According to theindictment, the operation was carried out by two MSS agents, a division director and section chief. They in turn had six hackers at their disposal, who went by names like “Cobain”, “Leanov”, “Fangshou” (Defence) and “Le Ma” (Happy Mum). But most worrying for any foreign enterprises operating in China was that the MSS relied heavily on local employees of the French and US company to install malware, used for cyber intrusions, and to provide information. These local staff were effectively recruited by the MSS and would have had little choice but to cooperate. The indictments also reveal while the MSS was careful in its communications outside China, it took few precautions on the mainland.

This was clearly a mistake and the US was able to access text messages, which