Session Profile: Mart Helme

The most crucial topics are the colossal capabilities of Chinese intelligence and the associated state incompetence, as well as the interference of Estonian special services in politics. The speaker is vehemently opposed to the government's actions, deeming them ineffective and corrupt (for instance, concerning aid to Ukraine). He urgently stresses the necessity of establishing civilian control over the special services in order to stop political interference and the fabrication of charges against the opposition. The political framework is primarily directed at criticizing the incompetence of the government and the minister.

The speaker demonstrates a profound knowledge of Chinese intelligence activities, distinguishing legacy intelligence that relies on human resources from modern cyber and digital intelligence that utilizes artificial intelligence. He refers to personal experiences visiting China and knows the exact location of the Chinese intelligence center in Tallinn. He confidently employs terms such as "digital intelligence," "artificial intelligence," and "information operations" to describe the colossal capabilities of these intelligence activities.

The speaker's style is extremely combative, critical, and urgent, employing dramatic and emotional appeals. He draws upon personal experiences (a trip to China, serving as a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official) and levels wide-ranging accusations of government incompetence and political interference by the special services. The speech features repeated exclamations and emphasis ("Extremely typical!", "We are not this!"), along with irony (e.g., regarding the Security Police's [Kapo's] little exhibition).

The speaker is actively participating in the plenary session during the debate on the answers to the parliamentary inquiry. He refers to his previous work as Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the second half of the 1990s or the beginning of the 2000s, as well as personal trips he took to China in 1990.

The main adversaries are the minister, who is considered utterly incompetent, and the Estonian special services. The criticism is extremely intense, accusing the special services of meddling in politics, keeping politicians in line, and fabricating legal cases against opposition politicians. Furthermore, Estonian diplomacy is criticized for being overly generous and lacking pragmatism in its dealings with China.

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The focus is on major global conflicts, particularly the confrontation between the US and China, which is deemed the most significant. At the national level, attention is directed toward the actions of the Estonian government and the location of the Chinese intelligence center in Tallinn, specifically in the area of Keskturu and Juhkentali streets. The context of Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Far East is also mentioned.

The speaker is fiercely critical of the massive state expenditures tied to aiding Ukraine and building up our own defense industry. He labels these initiatives as nothing more than pointless posturing and corrupt siphoning of funds. He contrasts Estonia’s inefficiency with China’s pragmatic approach, which ensures success before taking any action.

When discussing social issues, emphasis is placed on the threat of cyber espionage and digital surveillance, given that Chinese intelligence, utilizing artificial intelligence, is daily present in people's smart devices and knows everything. Furthermore, concern has been raised over citizens' liberties in connection with the political interference and fabricated accusations by Estonian special services.

The main political priority is establishing civilian control over Estonia’s special services to prevent them from interfering in politics and conducting information operations. The speaker is strongly opposed to the current situation and demands that the minister make establishing control over our own special services the primary task.