Chinese espionage in California

The government of the People's Republic of China and entities affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have undertaken influence operations, political intelligence gathering, cyber espionage, and industrial espionage in California. The state faces "the most mature" Ministry of State Security (MSS) networks of any in the United States. Activities in California are reported to be coordinated by the MSS 18th Bureau, which was established around 2010 to manage operations across the United States. Espionage activities are especially common in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Chinese government's effort is long-term; they try to recruit politicians early in their career so that if they advance to the national level, that politician will be primed to advocate for Chinese government interests.