It may be argued that, ultimately, the question of whether China is the new spy superpower is irrelevant. What is of more significance is how China is perceived by its adversaries, because in the craft of intelligence perception tends to be far more actionable than reality itself. The frequency of media reports on —either real or imagined— Chinese spying operations could be taken to imply that Western intelligence services perceive China as the new giant of international espionage. If this is so, then China can indeed be said to be dominating the spy wars of the 21st century.