China has accused MI6 of hiring Chinese government workers as informants.
China’s Ministry of State Security claimed MI6 employees had targeted Beijing after posting a message on its established Twitter network.
Both worked in” key personal” sections in a Chinese state firm.
According to the government, MI6 allegedly started cultivating Mr. Wang when he traveled to the UK in 2015 to pursue his studies as part of a Sino-British exchange program.
The operatives in the UK “taken specific care” of him, including inviting him to meals and tours to “understand his passions and weaknesses,” according to the ministry.
The BBC has contacted the authorities in the UK for a reply.
This comes just over a month after the UK charged two men with spying for China. UK police have accused them of giving “articles, notes, documents or information” to a foreign state, while China has called the allegations “malicious slander”.
Earlier this month, a former Royal Marine charged with assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service was found dead, said police.
China and a number of European nations have been espionage-related complaints of increasing frequency.
Chinese government claimed that the MI6 workers cheated on Mr. Wang by using his” strong desire for money,” made out with him on campus under the pretense of being an alumnus, and convinced him to provide “paid consulting services.”
After a while, and under their impression that” the circumstances were ripe,” the workers finally asked him to serve the American government in exchange for better pay and security offers, according to China’s Ministry of State Security.
Through Mr Wang the MI6 workers even recruited Ms Zhou to detective for China, it added.
” Wang was initially hesitant but could not resist]the operatives ‘ ] repeated persuasion, enticement and even coercion, and eventually agreed”, the ministry said in a statement on WeChat.
” Under Wang’s strong provocation, Zhou agreed to obtain intellect… and he and his partner became American spies”.
It added that the situation is still under investigation.
Since its launch in August, China’s Ministry of State Security has been updating its standard website frequently.
In January, it warned its citizens against “exotic beauties” seeking to lure them into the hands of foreign spy agencies.
It also warns against capturing military equipment and cautions against organizations that “recruit aviation enthusiasts as volunteers” in order to communicate China’s flight data to other nations.