The January hubbub over Google's operations in China, which has led to the search engine reevaluating its presence in the market, was sparked by an alleged hacking attempt by the Chinese government. The incident has become part of an ongoing political and economic spat between China and the United States, but it is also a reminder of how foreign businesses and governments must be vigilant about China's pervasive intelligence apparatus. China's covert intelligence capability seems vast mainly because of the country's huge population and the historic Chinese diaspora that has spread worldwide. Traditionally focused inward, China as an emerging power is determined to compete with more established powers by aiming its intelligence operations at a more global audience. China is driven most of all by the fact that it has abundant resources and a lot of catching up to do.