China's Ministry of State Security thrust into the spotlight by Nvidia CEO affair

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China's Ministry of State Security is getting attention after news of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's affair with an alleged MSS spy.

From recruitment of U.S. students to allegations surrounding Nvidia's Jensen Huang affair, reports point to one Chinese intelligence agency: the Ministry of State Security.

The opaque government entity — which lacks an official website other than one supporting whistleblowers — has gained prominence with Beijing's growing emphasis on national security since 2023. The ministry oversees a range of provincial and national-level bureaus, including for intelligence gathering.

While the MSS is not Beijing's only intelligence entity, the ministry has often been named in high-profile cases. Following hacking attempts on U.S. entities, the U.S. Treasury Department has in recent years sanctioned Chinese entities and individuals it alleges are affiliated with MSS.

The Financial Times and The New York Times this month reported, citing sources, that U.S. government intelligence believe the MSS recruited businesswoman Alice Huang to gather information on Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. The two are not related. Jensen Huang admitted to an affair over the weekend, but it remains unclear whether any sensitive information was shared.

The MSS earlier this year approached an individual who knows Alice Huang — to find out more information about her business and connections, The FT reported Wednesday, citing the person who was questioned. The FT report said it was unclear whether she was suspected of any wrongdoing, and that the MSS inquiry followed news of a Singapore probe into the company related to chip-smuggling allegations.

China established its Ministry of State Security in 1983, in part to respond to risks from the country's new openness to foreigners after roughly three decades of tightly closed borders, according to research by Sheena Chestnut Greitens, an associate professor at the University of Texas-Austin.

The MSS appears to have gained political influence under Chinese President Xi Jinping to "strengthen China's protections against espionage and foreign infiltration," Greitens wrote…

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