In 1920s Shanghai, Zhou Enlai founded the first Chinese communist spy network, operating in the shadows against nationalists, Western powers and the Japanese. The story of Chinese spies has been a global one from the start.

Unearthing previously unseen papers and interviewing countless insiders, Roger Faligot’s astonishing account reveals nothing less than a century of world events shaped by Chinese spies. Working as scientists, journalists, diplomats, foreign students and businessmen, they’ve been everywhere, from Stalin’s purges to 9/11. This murky world has swept up Ho Chi Minh, the Clintons and everyone in between, with the action moving from Cambodia to Cambridge, and from the Australian outback to the centres of Western power.

This fascinating narrative exposes the sprawling tentacles of the world’s largest intelligence service, from the very birth of communist China to Xi Jinping’s absolute rule today.

‘With increasing tensions in the trade war between America and China, concerns about the future of democracy in Hong Kong, and the controversy surrounding Huawei’s 5G mobile networks, Chinese Spies is a very timely and important book.’ - The Wall Street Journal

‘Faligot’s detailed and fascinating account of Chinese espionage over the past century argues that today the community of Chinese security and intelligence services is the largest in the world … impressive in its level of detail.’ - The Sunday Times

‘Faligot, an intrepid French researcher, has for 40 years constructed an encyclopaedic private archive of Chinese intelligence… Chinese Spies, is an enjoyable treasure trove of conspiracy theories… . spicy enough to keep the general reader awake at night.’ - The Times

‘Faligot has an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of China’s spy agencies … contains many fascinating stories.’ - Financial Times

‘A landmark book.’ - Paris Match