China Reveals Its Citizens Suspected Of Spying CIA: Recruited Agents In Italy, Sent For Study

Illustration. (Unsplash/Tetiana/SHYSHKINA)

JAKARTA - China's Ministry of Security on Friday announced the discovery of a citizen suspected of spying for the United States CIA, highlighting the risks and dangers of its citizens being recruited abroad.

The resident is said to be surnamed Zeng. He worked for a military industry group, before being recruited by an Italian-based CIA agent, the ministry said in a statement posted on WeChat.

It said Zeng was sent to Italy by a military industry group for further study and acquaintance with the CIA agent.

Through a dinner party, a walk, and a trip to the opera, the two developed a "close" relationship, with Zeng gradually becoming "psychologically dependent" on the CIA agent, the ministry said.

After successfully "jaking" Zeng's political stance, the CIA agent sought sensitive information about the Chinese military from Zeng, according to the statement.

However, the ministry did not mention when the incident occurred.

In addition, the statement also did not mention Zeng's gender, but said he was born in 1971. Meanwhile, the CIA agent who had contact with him was allegedly named 'Seth'.

The ministry revealed that Zeng was known to have signed an espionage agreement with the US and had received training before returning to China.

Allegedly, the agent he had contact with promised a large amount of money and immigration to the US for the Zeng family, in exchange for the information he provided, the ministry said.

After returning to China, Zeng has provided "core" intelligence information on various occasions, and has pocketed funds for the effort, the ministry continued.

In response, coercion measures, which usually mean detention, have been taken against Zeng, according to a ministry statement.

The US Embassy in Beijing did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

It is known that US and Chinese relations have deteriorated in recent years due to various issues, including national security. Washington accuses Beijing of espionage and cyberattacks, a charge China denies.

On the other hand, China also stated that it was under the threat of Washington's spies.