Behind the ‘no-limits’ partnership: Secret Russian intel document labels China ‘the enemy’

Despite public declarations of a ‘no-limits’ partnership between Moscow and Beijing, a Russian intelligence document suggests deep-seated mistrust within the Kremlin toward China, according to a report by The New York Times.

Inside the halls of Lubyanka, headquarters of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), a covert intelligence unit labels China not as a partner but as ’the enemy'.

The report, based on an internal memo from Russia’s FSB, outlines mounting concerns over Chinese espionage activities targeting Russian military, scientific and geopolitical assets. While President Vladimir Putin has portrayed Russia’s relationship with China as entering a “golden era,” a secret planning document—the authenticity of which has been confirmed by multiple Western intelligence agencies —reveals that Chinese intelligence is being treated as a major threat behind closed doors.

The eight-page FSB memo, believed to have been drafted in late 2023 or early 2024, was obtained by Ares Leaks, a cybercrime group and later reviewed by The New York Times. Though undated, it appears to outline current counterintelligence priorities and highlights efforts by Chinese agents to recruit Russian scientists and officials as well as to gain access to advanced military technologies. Chinese operatives are also suspected of surveilling Russia’s war in Ukraine to study Western combat tactics and weapons systems.

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Among the FSB’s major concerns is the possibility of covert territorial ambitions. The memo alleges that Chinese researchers and academics might be laying the groundwork to justify future claims on Russian land. Further, it warns of espionage operations in the Arctic, where Chinese mining companies and academic institutions are believed to be operating as intelligence fronts.

In response, Russian counterintelligence launched a programme titled “Entente-4” just days before the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. The programme—ironically named after the historical Franco-Russian alliance, was designed to prevent Chinese infiltration at a time when Moscow’s military and intelligence focus had shifted heavily westward.

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Since then, according to the report, the FSB has tracked an increasing number of attempts by Chinese intelligence to penetrate Russian political and business circles. The document details orders for surveillance of Russian people closely tied to China and heightened monitoring of the Chinese messaging app WeChat. This includes hacking phones and gathering personal data using a specialised FSB tool.

Interestingly, the document also notes Beijing’s own internal distrust. Chinese agents returning from Russia are reportedly subjected to polygraph tests, while Russian nationals in China, especially students or those married to Chinese citizens, are considered prime targets for recruitment.

The internal FSB assessments reflect a delicate balancing act: actively countering Chinese espionage while maintaining a façade of diplomatic unity. Officers have been instructed to avoid any public references to Chinese intelligence as a threat, so as not to strain bilateral ties.

Some experts interpret the memo as evidence that Russia could be pried away from China with the right diplomatic strategy. Others suggest the opposite: that Putin is fully aware of the risks, yet sees the benefits of deepening ties with Beijing as outweighing any concerns.

As The New York Times notes, China has become an economic lifeline for Russia amid Western sanctions, supplying everything from consumer electronics to critical military components. And with over 40 meetings between Putin and Xi Jinping in recent years, the strategic alignment appears too deeply entrenched for mistrust to alter its course, at least for now.