Counterintelligence

Chinese paper applauds anti-spy efforts after NY Times report CIA sources killed

An influential state-run newspaper applauded China's anti-espionage efforts on Monday after The New York Times said China had killed or imprisoned up to 20 CIA sources, hobbling U.S. spying operations in a massive intelligence breach.

China killed at least a dozen people providing information to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency between 2010 and 2012, dismantling a network that was years in the making, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

Global Times, published by China's official People's Daily, said in an editorial in its Chinese and English-language editions that, if true, it was a victory for China.

"If this article is telling the truth, we would like to applaud China's anti-espionage activities. Not only was the CIA's spy network dismantled, but Washington had no idea what happened and which part of the spy network had gone wrong," the paper said.