China accuses MI6 of recruiting Chinese couple as spies

• China accuses the UK’s MI6 intelligence agency of recruiting a couple as British spies.
• The couple was later persuaded to join him as a British spy.
• The allegations arose after the UK charged two men with spying for China.

China has accused the UK’s intelligence agency of recruiting a couple as spies, marking the latest in a string of tit-for-tat allegations between Beijing and the West in recent months. According to China’s Ministry of State Security, the two State Department employees were successfully recruited after MI6 operatives exploited the man’s “strong desire for money.”

The man, identified as Wang, subsequently persuaded his partner, identified only as Zhou, to join him as a British spy. These accusations arose weeks after the UK charged two men with spying for China. The men faced accusations of providing “articles, notes, documents, or information” to a foreign state, while China dismissed the allegations as “malicious slander.”

Police announced earlier this month that a former Royal Marine, charged with assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service, was found dead. China did not disclose how it uncovered the case involving Mr. Wang and Ms. Zhou, stating only that it followed a “thorough investigation.” The case remains under investigation, and Chinese officials did not indicate if charges would be brought against the couple.

The BBC has reached out to UK authorities for a response. China’s Ministry of State Security alleged that MI6 began cultivating Mr. Wang when he was studying in the UK under a Sino-British exchange program in 2015. The operatives allegedly took “special care” of him in the UK, including inviting him to dinners and tours to better “understand his interests and weaknesses.”

Under the guise of being alumni, MI6 operatives befriended him on campus and persuaded him to provide “paid consulting services.” Through Mr. Wang, the MI6 operatives also recruited Ms. Zhou to spy for China, as claimed by the country’s Ministry of State Security. It added that both individuals held “core confidential roles” in an unnamed state agency.

“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 instigation, Zhou agreed to collect intelligence… and he and his wife became British spies.”

Chong Ja-Ian, a scholar at Carnegie China, points out that it’s unclear why Beijing has chosen to publicize this case. It could be that Beijing is making the case public as a form of retaliation, but it has also arrested people for espionage.

Dr. Chong stated that without more information, it is difficult to ascertain the veracity of Beijing’s claims.

“Sometimes these do not appear… The opacity of the [the Chinese Communist Party] including its judicial system, especially when it comes to espionage cases, can make understanding the details of the case especially challenging,” he added.

China’s Ministry of State Security has posted frequent updates on its official channel since launching it in August. In January, it issued a warning to its citizens against “exotic beauties” seeking to lure them into the hands of foreign spy agencies.

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