China has accused the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) of recruiting Chinese state employees as spies. In a post on its official WeChat channel, China’s Ministry of State Security alleged that MI6 operatives turned a Chinese man identified only by his surname Wang and his wife, surnamed Zhou, against Beijing. Both individuals worked in “core confidential” departments within a Chinese state agency.
According to the ministry, MI6 began cultivating Mr. Wang when he went to the UK for his studies in 2015 under a Sino-British exchange program. The operatives reportedly took “special care” of him, inviting him to dinners and tours to better “understand his interests and weaknesses.”
This accusation follows the UK’s recent charges against two men for allegedly spying for China. UK police accused them of providing “articles, notes, documents, or information” to a foreign state, while China labeled the allegations as “malicious slander.” Additionally, earlier this month, a former Royal Marine charged with assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service was found dead, according to police reports.
Espionage accusations have been increasingly exchanged between Beijing and several Western countries. China’s Ministry of State Security did not disclose how it uncovered the case involving Mr. Wang and Ms. Zhou, stating only that it followed a “thorough investigation.”
Chinese authorities claimed MI6 exploited Mr. Wang’s “strong desire for money,” befriended him on campus under the pretense of being alumni, and engaged him in “paid consulting services.” Eventually, the operatives persuaded him to serve the British government for better remuneration and security offers. Through Mr. Wang, they also recruited Ms. Zhou to spy for China.
“Wang was initially hesitant but eventually agreed under repeated persuasion, enticement, and even coercion,” the ministry stated on WeChat. “Under Wang’s strong instigation, Zhou agreed to collect intelligence, and they both became British spies.”
The ministry added that the case is still under investigation and did not clarify if the couple would be charged.
Chong Ja-Ian, a non-resident scholar at Carnegie China, suggested that the public revelation of this case might be a form of retaliation, although Beijing has previously arrested people for espionage before the UK incidents. Dr. Chong noted that the opacity of China’s judicial system makes it challenging to verify the details of such espionage cases.
Since its launch in August, China’s Ministry of State Security has frequently updated its official channel. In January, it warned citizens against “exotic beauties” who might lure them into the hands of foreign spy agencies. The ministry has also cautioned against photographing military equipment and warned about organizations “recruiting aviation enthusiasts as volunteers” to transmit China’s flight data to other countries.
