The US spies caught in China were not American or we would've heard about it more. Why would Chinese-Americans work for US intelligence and will do nothing if they were killed? If it was a white American, you don't think we would here endless romanticized stories of them on the news and vilifying of China that they killed a white by the American media. Why would the Chinese kill them if they're honest to goodness CIA-trained spies where they could get a lot of information? No, they were "spies" in the sense of reality of the spy world that they were probably being paid for information they get and therefore disposable which is how the US treated them. Most on-the-ground spies are in fact just doing it for the money therefore unreliable because if money is their motive, they are capable of lying about information they pass just to get money. Or the US could be just lying that this happened. Just like China's spy chief defected to the US... and then showed up in China. You don't think someone wanted to stir the pot? Just like when this was brought up before, If you ever get to watch the documentary From China with Love, the US actually has had a poor record of spying on China. The US is good at gathering electronic intelligence which makes sense because it doesn't risk American lives.