On Monday, China alleged that Britain has recruited a married couple who are employees of the Chinese central government to work as spies for its MI6 intelligence service, amidst a back-and-forth exchange of espionage accusations between the two nations.
China‘s Ministry of State Security (MSS) announced that they had uncovered a significant espionage case involving MI6, where they found two crucial spies placed by the British in their organization.
Just weeks after British police charged three individuals for spying on behalf of Hong Kong’s intelligence service, similar charges were brought against two others in April for spying for China, including a former researcher for a prominent lawmaker in the ruling Conservative Party.
The charges in the UK followed China’s MSS announcement in January that it had arrested the leader of a foreign advisory firm accused of espionage for MI6.
During Xi Jinping’s leadership, China’s historically secretive spy agency has significantly increased its public visibility and expanded its responsibilities. The MSS, previously a mysterious group with no visible public image, has now become widely seen in society.
In the past half year, the MSS has consistently announced the dismantling of foreign espionage activities in public, making claims that cannot be confirmed due to their secretive nature. Nonetheless, these announcements portray the agency positively and serve as a reminder for Chinese individuals to stay cautious.
In the most recent announcement on Monday, the MSS outlined its accusations against the couple who are married.
A man named Wang, who is suspected of being a spy, was reported to be employed in a role that allowed him to access important classified information in an unidentified central government department.
According to the MSS, MI6 quickly approved Wang’s application to participate in an exchange program in the UK in 2015 due to his valued access.
While Wang was in Britain studying, MI6 had reportedly asked him to attend meals and tours in order to learn about his “character weaknesses and personal interests,” according to MSS.
MSS stated that the British spy agency employed a former student to entice Wang into a well-paid part-time consulting job after discovering his strong money-making desire.
The British began with open research projects and then transitioned to focusing on important internal issues of our central government agencies, offering a fee much higher than standard consulting rates. Despite his initial caution, Wang proceeded to offer ‘consulting‘ services to the British side due to the temptation of substantial amounts of money, as stated by the MSS.
The MSS claimed that MI6 agents eventually asked Wang to join the British government, offering more money and security as incentives.
The statement claimed that Wang agreed to the conditions, underwent espionage training, and was instructed to go back to China to collect information.
The MSS said MI6 continued to pressure Wang to convince his wife, who worked at a crucial government agency, to also engage in espionage by promising to double the payment. Although Wang was initially hesitant, he and his wife, with the surname Zhou, ultimately agreed, as claimed by MSS.
MSS is further investigating the case.
CNN has requested a statement from the Foreign Office of Britain, responsible for dealing with media requests for MI6, the official name of the Secret Intelligence Service.
Last year in August, the MSS made its first appearance on social media by creating an official account on WeChat, China’s top social app, and urged “all members of society” to help in the battle against foreign infiltration. The content frequently garners hundreds of thousands of views and is widely distributed by state media sources.
As per the MSS, foreign spies are everywhere and penetrating all areas – from mapping applications to meteorological stations. The ministry previously shared information on alleged espionage activities by Western spy agencies and how the CIA has reportedly recruited Chinese nationals studying or working overseas.
