China Alleges Rising Foreign Espionage Cites US Spying Attempts
China says it is seeing more spying attempts from foreign countries, especially as its relationship with the United States and other Western countries has gotten worse.
On Thursday, China’s State Security Ministry said that foreign spies are trying harder to steal information and are focusing on Chinese government workers.
The ministry didn’t say which countries were behind the spying.
It warned that some officials have leaked secrets because they did not follow rules, were not careful, or had weak beliefs, causing harm to China’s safety and interests.
One example given was about a government worker named Li. He traveled abroad for work and was tricked in a “honeytrap”—a situation where a spy pretends to be romantically interested. A foreign female spy used this trick on Li. After they became close, she took private photos of him and used them to blackmail him. When Li returned to China, he gave her secret documents. He was later given five years in prison for spying.
China Warns About More Spying by Foreign Countries
Another case involved a man named Hou, who worked for the city government. He had lost money from gambling and secretly took photos of secret papers. He sold them to foreign spy groups to get his money back. The government said he was punished, but didn’t say how.
A third case involved a young official who lost his job after he shared secret information with a family member. That family member took photos and sent them to foreign spy agencies.
The ministry warned that secret leaks can happen in small ways and in everyday work. They said if officials are not strong in their beliefs and careful in their actions, they could fall into traps set by foreign spies.
China and the U.S. often accuse each other of spying. In China, spying can lead to the death penalty.
Last month, China said the U.S. CIA had tried to recruit Chinese people using poor-quality videos on social media.
In April, China said it found three U.S. spies involved in cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games.
In March, China also said a former engineer was sentenced to death for giving secrets to another country.
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