As Beijing increases its attention and rhetoric on national security, Chinese officials on Monday officially accused a government employee of spying for the CIA. This is the second high-profile espionage case to be made public this month.
The Ministry of State Security, the nation’s civilian intelligence organisation, stated in a statement that it is looking into a cadre at an unnamed ministry who was allegedly recruited by the CIA when he was studying in Japan.
According to the ministry, the 39-year-old Chinese national, only known by his last name Hao, met a representative of the US embassy in Japan while he was requesting a US visa.
According to the statement, the US official treated Hao to dinners, sent him gifts, and paid him to assist with the writing of a research paper in order to foster a close relationship.
The ministry asserted that after introducing Hao to a coworker, a representative of the US embassy requested him to go back to China to work for a “core and critical department.” The colleague eventually revealed himself to be a CIA agent.
According to the statement, Hao allegedly consented, signed an espionage contract with the US, and underwent training.
After arriving home in China, Hao was hired by a ministry and allegedly met with CIA officials several times to “provide intelligence and collect espionage funds,” according to the Chinese spy agency. It stated that more research is being done on the matter.
A worker at an unnamed Chinese military industrial organisation who was supposedly recruited while studying in Italy was found to be a spy for the CIA, according to a declaration made just 10 days earlier by the same ministry.
The Ministry of State Security made statements regarding both events on Wechat, China’s super app, where it had earlier this month created its first social media account with a public profile.
The covert organisation, which manages counterintelligence operations both domestically and abroad, has raised its prominence to deter espionage among Chinese citizens.
The ministry encouraged “all members of society” to take part in the fight against espionage in its first post on Wechat, and it promised awards and protection for those who shared information.
To combat what he perceives as mounting threats from “foreign forces,” particularly the United States, to undermine China’s progress and political stability, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made national security a top priority.
Long-standing spying relationships between the US and China have intensified due to the recent deterioration in relations between the two greatest economies in the world.
Two US Navy sailors in California earlier this month were detained on suspicion of giving Chinese espionage agents confidential US military information.