Chinese intelligence agency claims to capture US spy from within defence institute. A Chinese national working for a local defence institute has been charged with spying for the United States, according to an announcement made on Sunday by China‘s top intelligence agency.
The case has been moved to a Chengdu court for trial, underscoring China’s increased emphasis on national security, the enactment of anti-spying legislation, and the campaign against domestic corruption.
Chinese state television station CCTV reported that in 2013, a man by the name of Hou who worked at an unnamed defence institute was sent as a visiting scholar to a US university.
He was allegedly forced into telling the US about Chinese state secrets while he was there.
In a statement shared on WeChat, China’s Ministry of State Security emphasized that “espionage activities go hand in hand with deception, temptation, and conspiracy.”
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However, neither the statement nor the media reports mentioned the university that was involved.
According to CCTV, a US professor with connections to Hou introduced him to a person claiming to work for a consulting firm.
This person was actually identified as an American “intelligence officer” who pretended to work for the company.
The intelligence officer persuaded Hou to become a consulting expert over a period of months by promising him payment of $600 to $700 per session.
The American revealed his true intentions and suggested a change in their cooperation a few months later when Hou’s wife and son paid a visit to the US.
Hou accepted the terms because he was concerned for his family’s security.
Hou would divulge top-secret information in hour-long sessions in return for $1,000 in compensation under the terms of this agreement, which involved regular meetings.
As soon as Hou returned to China in 2014, he continued to work with US intelligence.
While attending conferences abroad, he kept in touch with US intelligence services and voluntarily shared intelligence data regarding the military and national defence.
Hou was taken into custody and charged with espionage in July 2021 as a result of Chinese authorities’ inquiries.
China has recently detained and arrested a large number of people on espionage suspicion, including both Chinese and foreign nationals. Concerns about China’s aggressive counterspying efforts have been raised in the United States as a result of these actions.
As Chinese intelligence agency claims to capture US spy from within defence institute, additionally, a US citizen who was sentenced to life in prison for espionage earlier this year has also recently been the subject of new information from China’s intelligence service.
