If there is one profession which has benefited from the increased tensions between the US and China, it is intelligence gathering.
One rumor which went around this week was the defection to the US of the Chinese Vice Minister of State Security Dong Jingwei 董经纬。 The Chinese Ministry of State Security is roughly analagous to the US's CIA and to Britain's MI-6; all are responsible for collecting information outside their national borders.
In order to deny the rumor, the Chinese authorities showed a meeting on national security chaired by Dong Jingwei in Beijing dated June 18, which was on how to implement counter-intelligence regulations announced on April 26. Mentioning the dates is important in providing context for the Chinese denial.
This makes the source of the rumor more interesting than the rumor itself. The prevailing narrative in China now is that China is rising, and the US is a former global superpower facing many internal problems which cannot be easily addressed. Under these circumstances, why would any Chinese senior official defect to the US side unless he was offered a very sizable money reward and a new identity for himself and his family? His value would be in his knowledge of Chinese operations and networks in the US, and other western allies of the US.
One fun fact is that his name in Chinese 经纬 refers to latitude and longitude, and literally means "all over the globe". A very appropriate name for a senior Chinese official working in information gathering and security globally. Probably a little TOO appropriate, which makes it likely that it is an alias.
Something to think about while you enjoy your weekend...