Suspect accused of spying for US
By YANG ZEKUN | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2023-08-12 07:14
A Chinese national recruited by the United States Central Intelligence Agency has been caught spying and providing sensitive information, the Ministry of State Security announced on Friday.
The case has been transferred to the procuratorate for further review and prosecution, said the ministry, which gave some details about the acts of espionage.
The suspect, surnamed Zeng and born in July 1971, was an employee of a military-industrial group in China. He held an important role involving classified information.
During a period when Zeng was sponsored by his company to study in Italy, he was approached by an official from the US embassy named "Seth" who took the initiative to get acquainted with him, the ministry said.
The two gradually developed a closer relationship through activities such as dinners, outings, and attending opera performances.
Over time, Zeng became psychologically dependent on Seth, who took advantage of this to introduce Zeng to some Western values.
Through Seth's consistent boasting and manipulation, Zeng's stance on the Chinese political system began to waver and his values and attitudes began to change.
As their interaction deepened, Seth revealed to Zeng his identity as a CIA Rome station personnel. He demanded sensitive military information from Zeng, and offered him substantial rewards and facilitating the immigration of Zeng and his family to the US.
Zeng agreed to Seth's proposal and signed an espionage agreement, and underwent assessments and training provided by the US.
After completing the study program in Italy, Zeng returned to China and secretly met with CIA personnel multiple times, providing a significant amount of sensitive intelligence and receiving funds for spying.
Through meticulous investigation, the national security department obtained substantial evidence of Zeng's espionage activities and took lawful coercive measures to promptly eliminate the threat caused by Zeng.