China's spy agency warns students studying, visiting and holidaying abroad against foreign espionage
The Ministry of State Security gave the example of an overseas graduate who was “severely punished” for leaking scientific research data after returning to China to work in a Chinese research institution.

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SINGAPORE: China’s top spy agency has warned Chinese students studying abroad against working with foreign spies as Beijing’s national security drive continues apace amid tensions with the West.
The Ministry of State Security sounded the alarm on Wednesday (Feb 7) on its WeChat account, cautioning Chinese nationals to be alert and avoid contact or cooperating with foreign intelligence agencies - be it studying or travelling overseas, or just paying a visit abroad.
This will help people to be timely in “uncovering the ulterior motives of seemingly cordial interactions”, it said in the post which had more than 100,000 views.
“In the face of all kinds of solicitation and counter-intelligence activities by foreign espionage agencies, it is necessary to maintain a line of defence and avoid falling into the traps set by (them)”, the ministry wrote.
At the same time, the ministry assured that for people who are coerced or tricked into joining foreign espionage organisations and carrying out activities which endanger China’s national security, they may not be prosecuted if they “promptly and truthfully” explain the situation to Chinese authorities.
EMBROILED IN ESPIONAGE
The post details a “real case” involving a Chinese student who was “severely punished” for leaking Chinese scientific research after graduating.
The student, referred to only by the surname Zhang, is said to have become involved in espionage while studying at a top-ranked college overseas in 2006. The ministry did not identify the country.
Zhang had been tasked to liaise with other Chinese students at the college due to his outstanding academic performance. This gained the attention of a senior figure in the college.
This person went on to introduce Zhang to two people who turned out to be foreign spies, the ministry wrote.
They convinced Zhang to provide intelligence on Chinese international students and eventually other “sensitive information” in return for money.
With their help, Zhang secured a job in a Chinese research institution in China even though his grades were below the entry requirement. In return, Zhang continued feeding information to them, including confidential data, the WeChat account said.
Eventually, Zhang’s actions were found out and he was punished for committing espionage, the ministry said, adding that Zhang had essentially “buried his promising prospects and youth” by giving in to the foreign intelligence agency’s “emotional manipulation and monetary temptation”.
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NATIONAL SECURITY DRIVE
Since its formation in 1983, China’s top spy agency has largely worked in the shadows, with no public website and very limited information on its work.
But the Ministry of State Security has recently been stepping out of the shadows, in tandem with China’s national security drive which has led to raids on foreign consulting firms and the expansion of a new anti-espionage law, among other things.
The ministry’s official account on WeChat - one of the country’s most popular social media apps - went live at the start of August last year, a month after the expanded anti-spying law took effect.
The ministry’s very first post called on Chinese citizens to join the fight against spying, saying their efforts should be commended and rewarded.
“The rising visibility of the MSS (Ministry of State Security) appears part of an effort to normalise national security as a top priority in government policymaking, by encouraging it to adopt a public profile more like that of economic agencies,” said Mr Neil Thomas, a fellow for Chinese politics at Asia Society Policy Institute’s Centre for China Analysis as reported by Bloomberg in September last year.
Also in August, the spy agency announced two cases of alleged espionage involving Chinese students overseas, who were said to be recruited by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) before returning to work for China.
The finger-pointing came after CIA director William Burns said in July that the US agency had made progress in rebuilding its spy network in China.
CHINESE ESPIONAGE IN THE CROSSHAIRS
Even as China ramps up its anti-spying efforts, the country’s own espionage campaign has also come under the spotlight.
Last September, a researcher working at Britain’s parliament was arrested under the Official Secrets Act amid claims he was spying for China.
In 2019, a Singaporean was arrested in the US and pleaded guilty to spying for China. Dickson Yeo was sentenced to 14 months’ jail.
After his release, he returned to Singapore where he was detained under the Internal Security Act as local authorities established whether he had engaged in “activities prejudicial to Singapore’s security”.
At the same time, the scale of China’s espionage work in cyberspace has drawn international concern.
In stark comments last September, US Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray said Beijing’s cyber-espionage programme was so vast that it’s bigger than all of its major competitors combined.
“If each one of the FBI’s cyber agents and intelligence analysts focused on China exclusively, Chinese hackers would still outnumber our cyber personnel by at least 50 to one,” he added during the conference organised by US cybersecurity firm Mandiant.
Earlier this week, Dutch intelligence agencies said Chinese state-backed cyberspies gained access to a Dutch military network last year.
It is the first time the Netherlands has publicly attributed cyber espionage to China.
Beijing has refuted the claims. Its embassy in the Netherlands said China would never allow Chinese entities or individuals to conduct illegal activities such as cyberattacks or use Chinese facilities for such attacks.
"China opposes any malicious speculation and groundless accusations, and advocates joint efforts to safeguard cybersecurity through dialogue and cooperation,” the embassy added in a statement.