China warns students against 'beautiful women' and 'handsome guys' who might turn them into spies
China’s main intelligence agency has a warning for young people: Beware of “handsome guys” and “beautiful women” looking to turn them into spies.
HONG KONG — China’s main intelligence agency has a warning for young people: Beware of “handsome guys” and “beautiful women” looking to turn them into spies.
University students with access to classified or sensitive research data should especially guard against foreign intelligence agents who might try to lure them into false romantic relationships and then manipulate them into spying against China, the Ministry of State Security said Wednesday in a post on the social media platform WeChat.
The agency has published a series of such posts since launching its WeChat account last August, urging the public to be alert to all manner of foreign threats as Chinese leader Xi Jinping prioritizes the strengthening of national security.
China has been trading accusations of espionage with the United States and its allies amid tense relations between the world’s two largest economies. The Chinese agency’s latest warning comes as U.S. prosecutors allege that Linda Sun, a former top aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, acted as a secret agent for the Chinese government.
Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, who was also arrested, have both pleaded not guilty. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson declined to comment on the case but expressed opposition to any attempt to “smear or slander” China. In recent years, Chinese students have been targeted by schemes that aim to entice them into giving up information through job offers or online friendship, the Ministry of State Security said, without giving details.
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