Over the past 50 years, the CCP’s defensive espionage has planted approximately 10,000 to 20,000 spies in the United States, with an annual budget of $600 million. After Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, the CCP’s defensive espionage turned into offensive espionage. In addition to the previous 20,000 spies, the CCP also recruited 15,000 to 18,000 more non-Asian spies locally in the United States. The CCP‘s annual budget for espionage activities has risen from $3 billion to $4 billion.
