The latest in a long line of highly publicised espionage claims between Washington and Beijing, China’s civilian intelligence agency has exposed a Chinese national for allegedly giving secret military information to the CIA.
The suspect, who goes by the surname Zeng, was employed by an unnamed Chinese military industrial firm, according to a statement released by China’s Ministry of State Security on Friday, and his position allowed him access to vitally sensitive classified information.
Zeng, 52, was sent to Italy by his company, according to the ministry, to further his education. The statement claims that while he was there, a representative of the US embassy approached him. Over the course of their interactions, which included dinner parties, excursions, and opera viewings, they supposedly grew closer.
The ministry asserted that as their relationship progressed, the US diplomat exposed his identity as a CIA agent. According to the statement, Zeng was allegedly offered “a huge amount” of cash in addition to family immigration to the US in exchange for confidential information regarding the Chinese military.
According to the report, Zeng signed an espionage deal with the US and got evaluation and training.
After completing his studies, Zeng allegedly travelled back to China where he repeatedly met with CIA agents to offer “a large amount of core intelligence,” according to the statement.
After discovering proof of Zeng’s espionage activities during a probe, the ministry said it had taken “compulsory measures” against him. The prosecution has been given the case to evaluate and indict, it continued.
A week after two US Navy sailors in California were detained for allegedly giving classified US military secrets to Chinese intelligence agents, China made its disclosure regarding the accused CIA spy.
A civilian organisation in China, the Ministry of State Security is in charge of domestic and international intelligence and counterintelligence. Its mandate has prompted comparisons to a combined CIA and FBI, although it is much more clandestine about its activity, without even an open website outlining its operations.
However, the ministry has become more well-known recently. It opened a public account on Wechat, China’s leading social media platform, on August 1. In it, it urged “all members of society” to join the fight against espionage and offered rewards and safety to those who provided information.
On Friday, the ministry’s Wechat account also posted a message regarding Zeng’s case.
The Chinese military has its own intelligence organisation as well.
Although the two greatest economies in the world have always been rivals, the current worsening in relations has intensified this competition.
While Xi Jinping, China’s most powerful and authoritarian leader in a generation, has made national security his top priority, China’s Communist Party leadership have long promoted the idea that “foreign forces” are attempting to undermine the country’s progress.
The scope of espionage was further broadened by China’s amended counter-espionage law, which was unveiled last month.
According to The New York Times, CIA operations in China experienced a shocking setback starting in 2010 when the Chinese government assassinated or imprisoned more than a dozen sources over a two-year period.
According to a CNN article from 2021, as part of a larger change to sharpen its emphasis on foes like China and Russia, the agency was revamping how it oversees and trains its network of spies.
