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China’s Ministry of State Security announced on Monday that it had arrested a man by the name of Huang, who is the country’s head of a foreign consultancy, as an alleged English spy, with a newspaper warning that there are “007s” everywhere in real life.
According to a statement on the ministry’s official WeChat account, the British Secret Intelligence Service ( MI6 ) recently used personnel from a third country to carry out espionage activities against China.
“The overseas national surnamed Huang is head of a foreign consultancy, ” it said. “ In 2015, the British Secret Intelligence Service ( MI6 ) developed Huang as part of an intelligence cooperation relationship. ”
In response to modifications to China’s Counterespionage Law in 2023, which have been ;, Huang’s is the latest in a line of prosecutions of foreign citizens and attacks on international companies. criticized by investors for its hazy description of what exactly constitutes spy.
According to latest ruling Communist Party misinformation, it also appears to be a part of a global strategy to “awaken” Chinese people to the existence of overseas spies in their daily lives.
According to the report, MI6 then gave Huang the order to travel to China several times while using his common identity to search for Chinese intelligence and discover MI6 agents who would otherwise incite rebellion, accusing the American intelligence services of providing Huang with” special spy equipment” for the purpose.
Huang had given up 12 pieces of evidence showing the leaking of “state strategies” and three different bits of intellect, according to the government.
He is currently being held under “criminal aggressive steps, ” according to Xinhua.
At a standard media briefing in Beijing on Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning referred reporters to the ministry’s Twitter official account and declined to comment on the report.
‘007s around us’
The nationalistic Global Times, girl report to Communist Party mouth the People’s Daily, drew parallels with the imaginary hero of the James Bond books and movies, who is also known as “007. ”
“Countries such as the UK, in line with their broader plan of countering China, have expanded their espionage efforts beyond usually targeted areas to contain financial, military, scientific, technical, and economic regions, ” it said.
The paper quoted Li Baiyang, associate professor of knowledge studies at Nanjing University, as saying: “We may be afraid of the 007s around us; we may n’t erroneously believe that 007 is a figure that exists only in movies. ”
“It [espionage ] is actually everywhere, [and they are ] planting their spies in other countries, ” Li told the paper, echoing recent public service announcements about “foreign spies” who have allegedly infiltrated every aspect of life in China.
The safety ministry issued an official accounts on WeChat last August, urging Chinese citizens to “enhance the consciousness of counterespionage of the whole community, and form a solid mutual force to maintain national security.” ”
State media said it was a necessary move, to put all of China on an anti-espionage footing as a result of new “criminal activities ” that endanger national security.
Online comic book
The ministry launched an online comic book on Sunday that details a fictionalized version of its work, which it claimed was based on a real case, in an apparent bid to increase public interest in the nationwide spy-catching campaign.
Foreign businesses and attorneys have recently spoken to Radio Free Asia about the expanded definition of espionage to include cyberattacks against government departments or important information infrastructure. The amended Counterespionage Law expands the definition of espionage to include matters of national security and the national interest.
Additionally, it gives the authorities more authority to issue travel bans for individuals and to access data and electronic equipment.
In October, the authorities arrested a 39-year-old Chinese national, identified only by his surname Hao, whom the ministry claimed was recruited by the CIA while he was pursuing a Japanese education.
In November, the Chengdu Intermediate People’s Court court in the southwestern province of Sichuan sentenced a man identified by his surname Wang to six years ’ imprisonment and the confiscation of 500,000 yuan ( US$ 68,700 ) of his personal assets after finding him guilty of “espionage. ”
Even government information in the public domain could be classified as a “state secret, ” according to a Chinese lawyer who was speaking to Radio Free Asia at the time. The Counterespionage Law definitions are so vague. ”
