China's sprawling spy agencies are designed to root out the 'five poisons' at home and abroad, British intelligence says

• China has built an expansive intelligence apparatus, with tens of thousands of officers.
• It is focused on combating the "five poisons" that the Chinese Communist Party sees as its top threats.
• Chinese spies also take a "whole-of-state" approach to gathering intel that could benefit Beijing.

China's growing military and economic might has attracted worldwide attention, but Beijing has also developed a sprawling intelligence apparatus to support its goal of supplanting the US and wielding influence around the globe.