Part 2/15:
Kicking off the conversation, Miates dispels common misconceptions about espionage, contrasting Hollywood portrayals with the bureaucratic reality of intelligence agencies. He humorously recounts the lengthy and bureaucratic process of joining the intelligence community, highlighting that recruitment often involves tedious paperwork, training, and administrative delays rather than clandestine midnight meetings.
Despite the glamorized image, Miates emphasizes that the work is often methodical, bureaucratic, and long-term. This slow and steady approach is a far cry from the high-stakes, fast-paced scenes depicted in movies, but it's precisely the meticulous nature that enables China’s expansive espionage campaigns to persist undetected for years.