The Little Red Podcast

State Capture or Mind Capture? China's Spy Strategy on 3 Continents

March 5, 2026·56 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Britain is the latest country to be plunged into yet another espionage scandal after an MP’s husband was arrested on suspicion of spying for China. Beijing’s long been known for its ‘thousand grains of sand’ strategy relying on amateur intelligence collectors, but it’s now increasingly employing cognitive warfare to shape public opinion. This month, we analyse changes to China’s spying ground game on three continents. Louisa is joined by former Australian diplomat Sam Guthrie who’s the author of The Peak, a spy thriller set in Australia and China, national security expert Dennis Molinaro, the author of Under Assault: Interference and Espionage in China's Secret War Against Canada, and human rights activist Lyndon Lee, who has been targeted by Chinese agents in the UK. Image: c/- Sergeant Paul Shaw LBIPP/MOD, under Open Government License version 1. Union and Chinese flags together. Transcripts available at: https://ciw.anu.edu.au/podcasts/little-red-podcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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