Big Take The Sixth Bureau, Episode 1: Your Friend From Nanjing
7 snips
Feb 13, 2026 A covert FBI sting unravels a Chinese intelligence operation aimed at stealing aerospace secrets. Undercover meetings, secure phones and a chilling 'friend from Nanjing' code reveal tradecraft. Terabytes of seized material offer a rare peek into how an intelligence agency targets jet engine technology and global rivals.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Undercover Sting With A Fake 'Friend'
- An undercover FBI agent posed as a stranger and befriended Ji Chao-chun to warn him about his arrested handler.
- The staged hotel meeting and planted phone let agents control Ji's communications and gather evidence.
Manipulating Trust With A Newspaper Clip
- The undercover agent showed Ji a Belgian article about Xu Yanjun's arrest to gain trust and justify new communication rules.
- He then handed Ji a specific phone and insisted all future messages go through him.
A Rare Glimpse Inside China's MSS
- Xu Yanjun's prosecution opened an unprecedented window into the Ministry of State Security's inner operations.
- Investigators seized terabytes of emails, chats, recordings and classified documents revealing MSS tradecraft.