Beautiful Girl May Be a Foreign Intelligence Trap

BEIJING – Ministry of State Security (MSS), the main state body China in charge of foreign intelligence and counter-espionage, has issued a warning to young people to be wary of handsome men and beautiful girls.

According to the MSS, both of these could be traps aimed at luring young Chinese people into becoming spies for foreign countries.

The agency published its warning on its official WeChat account on Wednesday and aimed it at young students, particularly those with access to highly sensitive or classified information or confidential research data.

MSS warns them not to be tempted by good looks, which could be a trap set by foreign spy intelligence agencies.

The MSS claims that such entities often target young Chinese students. “They pose as close friends and confidants trying to control, lure and coerce them into a trap of false love,” the MSS warning said, citing Russia TodayFriday (6/9/2024).

The ministry also claims some foreign intelligence agencies provide high-paying part-time jobs for students, often using vague language to solicit information in the name of market research or academic exchange.

In this case, MSS continued, the agents usually disguise themselves as academics, researchers or consultants. “Who exploit the curiosity and willingness of young people to try new things,” MSS warned.

The ministry did not provide specific names of foreign intelligence agencies that had targeted students in the manner mentioned above, but China is known to exchange espionage accusations with the United States and Britain.

The ministry’s latest warning comes on the heels of a scandal in New York, in which Gov. Kathy Hochul’s former deputy chief of staff, Linda Sun, was charged with acting as a covert agent for the Chinese government.

In June this year, Beijing announced it had arrested two of its own citizens on suspicion of aiding Britain’s foreign intelligence agency MI6.

The MSS official account went live in August last year, following the expansion of China’s anti-espionage law, which gives the country’s authorities broader powers to root out spies.

Since then, the ministry has issued numerous warnings similar to Wednesday’s, aimed at popularizing counterintelligence measures among the Chinese public.

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