China has accused the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) of recruiting Chinese state employees as spies. In an official post on its WeChat channel, China’s Ministry of State Security claimed that MI6 operatives turned a Chinese man identified by his surname Wang, and his wife surnamed Zhou, against Beijing. Both individuals worked in “core confidential” departments of a Chinese state agency.
The ministry alleged that MI6 began cultivating Mr. Wang when he went to the UK for studies in 2015 under a Sino-British exchange program. MI6 operatives reportedly took “special care” of him during his time in the UK, inviting him to dinners and tours to understand his interests and weaknesses. The BBC has reached out to UK authorities for a response.
This accusation comes just over a month after the UK charged two men with spying for China. UK police have accused them of providing “articles, notes, documents, or information” to a foreign state, while China dismissed 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.
Espionage accusations have increasingly been traded between Beijing and several Western countries. In the case of Mr. Wang, Chinese authorities claimed that MI6 operatives exploited his “strong desire for money,” befriending him on campus under the guise of being alumni, and engaging him in “paid consulting services.” When the operatives deemed the conditions ripe, they allegedly asked him to serve the British government in exchange for better remuneration and offers of security.
The ministry stated that through Mr. Wang, MI6 operatives also recruited Ms. Zhou. Despite initial hesitations, Mr. Wang reportedly succumbed to repeated persuasion, enticement, and coercion. “Under Wang’s strong instigation, Zhou agreed to collect intelligence… and he and his wife became British spies,” the ministry said in a statement on WeChat. The case remains under investigation.
Since launching its official channel in August, China’s Ministry of State Security has frequently posted updates. In January, it warned citizens against “exotic beauties” seeking to lure them into the hands of foreign spy agencies and cautioned against photographing military equipment or transmitting China’s flight data to other countries.
The growing spy threat from China has posed significant challenges for Western intelligence agencies, struggling to keep pace with Beijing’s espionage activities.
