How China Really Spies on America: Covert Influence, Semiconductors & Taiwan | Nick Eftimiades

An Exceptional Podcast on China | Deep Expertise, Real Tradecraft, No Noise This is an outstanding, high-signal conversation on China, grounded in decades of real intelligence experience and focused on how Chinese espionage, covert influence, and strategic manipulation actually work in practice. In this episode of the Restricted Handling Podcast, hosts Ryan Fugit and Glenn Corn sit down with Nick Eftimiades, one of the most respected experts on Chinese intelligence and espionage. Nick spent over three decades in the U.S. Intelligence Community, much of it focused on China, and is the author of Chinese Espionage Operations and Tactics. Rather than headlines or speculation, this episode digs into tradecraft, strategy, and institutional failure, why the U.S. underestimated China for decades, how Beijing runs a whole-of-society intelligence campaign, and what that means for U.S. national security today. Why the U.S. Intelligence Community historically underinvested in China expertise How Chinese covert influence operations target U.S. state and local governments The Linda Sun case and what it reveals about United Front tradecraft Why U.S. states are uniquely vulnerable to foreign influence China's aggressive economic espionage campaign, especially semiconductors and AI Illegal Nvidia chip transfers and how export controls are enforced and evaded China's strategy toward Taiwan, pressure, psychology, cyber, and espionage short of war Why an invasion is not the only or even preferred option Whether the U.S. can realistically split China and Russia Which allies truly understand the China threat and which still do not This is a serious topic for serious listeners but in a lighthearted approach that policy makers, military professionals, intelligence practitioners, and anyone who wants to understand how great-power competition actually operates behind the scenes. 00:00 – Introduction: Why China Has Been the Blind Spot 01:10 – The U.S. Intelligence Gap on China 05:20 – Covert Influence and the Linda Sun Case 11:00 – United Front Operations and State-Level Targeting 18:50 – Taiwan: Espionage, Psychological Warfare and "2027" 25:10 – China, Russia, and the Myth of a Strategic Split 30:30 – Economic Espionage: Semiconductors and Nvidia Chips 36:10 – What to Expect from China in 2026 and Beyond Nick Eftimiades Nick Eftimiades is a former U.S. intelligence officer with more than three decades of experience across the Intelligence Community, including extensive work on China, espionage, and counterintelligence. He has testified before Congress, briefed senior policymakers, and built one of the most comprehensive open-source databases of Chinese espionage cases worldwide. His work focuses on tradecraft, covert influence, economic espionage, and China's whole-of-society approach to intelligence operations. 📘 Chinese Espionage Operations and Tactics 👉 https://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Espionage-Operations-Nicholas-Eftimiades/dp/0997618833/ 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eftimiades 🌐 Website: https://www.shinobienterprises.com/ Stay ahead of the world's most critical flashpoints with PDB-style daily intelligence. 🔹 Subscribe: restrictedhandling.com 🔹 Includes: A daily intelligence brief covering China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and the Middle East Two companion daily podcasts focused exclusively on China and Russia Clear, concise analysis designed for decision-makers Glenn Corn 🌐 https://greatsouthbayinc.com/ Former Senior CIA Operations Officer, Member of the Senior Intelligence Service, and Adjunct Professor of Russian and Soviet Studies. With 34 years across CIA, Defense, and State, Glenn served in some of the world's most challenging postings, including multiple tours as a Chief of Station. Today he advises on intelligence, risk, and strategic security while teaching at the Institute of World Politics. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restrictedhandling.substack.com/subscribe