China, Britain and its Western allies have been at loggerheads, accusing each other of spying.
China has announced that it has arrested a British spy accused of leaking state secrets.
The head of a foreign consultancy firm was found to have been spying for British intelligence agency MI6, the Ministry of National Security announced on Monday. This is the latest in a series of recent accusations between Beijing and London.
China’s spy agency announced the discovery of spying on social media WeChat accounts. He said that MI6 used the foreigner Phan Moumou to collect secrets and information.
Britain’s foreign intelligence agency announced in 2015 that it had established an “intelligence partnership” with Hwang, who heads an overseas consulting agency.
According to the statement, Huang does not have Chinese nationality. State security agencies have not disclosed the suspect’s nationality or gender.
“After careful investigation, national security agencies immediately found evidence of Mr. Huang’s involvement in espionage activities and took criminal coercive measures against him,” the ministry said.
According to Beijing, MI6 instructed Huang to enter China on several occasions and use his official status to collect China-related information for British spies.
British intelligence also trained Hwang and provided him with equipment for intelligence coordination, the statement continued.
Hwang is said to have passed 17 pieces of information, including state secrets, to MI6 before he was identified.
The statement did not give details of Huang’s identity or employer, nor did it mention his current condition or whereabouts.
tit for tat
China, Britain and their Western allies have been in a bitter spat recently, accusing each other of spying.
The London government has announced that Chinese spies are targeting senior government officials in sensitive positions in politics, defense and business.
A British parliamentary researcher recently denied that he was a Chinese spy, an accusation that Beijing branded “totally baseless” and a “malicious slander.”
China has disclosed several other alleged spying cases in recent months.
John Xinwan Leung, 78, an American national, was sentenced to life in prison for espionage in May. China has also raided and arrested a number of large consulting, research and due diligence firms.
The Chinese government also warns its citizens of the dangers of espionage and encourages them to participate in counterespionage activities instead.