China’s top anti-espionage agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS), announced on August 21 that it has arrested an official it says is a spy for the CIA, Report informs referring to the South China Morning Post.
It said a 39-year-old ministry official surnamed Hao had been recruited by the US Central Intelligence Agency while studying in Japan to become an American spy. But it did not reveal Hao’s gender or what ministry Hao worked for.
Although it has previously been rare for China to publicly name antagonist organizations or nations, this is the second case of alleged espionage this month in which the ministry has directly pointed to the CIA.
On August 10, the MSS said it had arrested a 52-year-old employee of a state-run arms company who had begun working for the CIA while studying in Italy.
Both cases were published on the ministry’s new WeChat account as China and the US strengthen their respective counter-intelligence efforts.
In the most recent statement, the MSS said that while applying for a US visa as a student in Japan, Hao met Taide – the Chinese translation of Ted – an official at the US embassy in Japan.
“Ted gradually established a close relationship with Hao through dinners, gifts, etc, and asked Hao to help write papers, promising to pay a fee,” the announcement said.
At the end of his tenure, Ted introduced his colleague Li Jun to Hao. Hao and Li Jun continued to work together, the ministry added.
The report said: “Before the end of Hao’s study abroad, Li Jun confessed that he was a member of the Tokyo station of the CIA and recruited Hao, asking Hao to work in the core units of our country. Hao agreed, signed a spy agreement with the US, and accepted examinations and training”.
According to the statement, Hao began working in an unnamed ministry after returning to his home country and met CIA personnel in China on several occasions to provide information and receive espionage fees.
The ministry said it had discovered Hao’s spy activities and was now investigating.