EXCLUSIVE: Chinese Defector-Spy Reveals How to Spot Beijing’s Agents

The former agent defected to Australia in 2023.

Police patrol on Tiananmen Square before the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing on March 4, 2025. Vincent Thian/AP Photo

A former Chinese intelligence agent says it’s difficult to detect Beijing’s many spies operating in countries like Canada and the United States, but there are nevertheless some clues that can reveal their hidden identities.

The former agent, who goes by the pseudonym “Eric,” defected to Australia in 2023.