China Accuses MI6 of Recruiting Spies from Its State Workers

China has leveled espionage accusations against Britain’s MI6, claiming it recruited two Chinese state employees as spies. The Ministry of State Security (MSS), China’s intelligence and secret police agency, announced it had exposed a significant espionage case involving a married couple working in vital units of a Chinese state agency. This development follows various instances of alleged Chinese espionage in Europe, highlighted in countries like the UK, Germany, and Belgium.
According to MSS, the husband, identified only by the surname Wang, was targeted first during a 2015 trip to the UK on an exchange program. MSS alleges that MI6 capitalized on Wang’s financial aspirations, eventually persuading him to spy for Britain upon his return to China. Subsequently, MI6 is said to have also recruited his wife, Zhou, despite Wang’s initial hesitations. The MSS statement, shared on its WeChat account, did not specify whether the couple has been detained or charged.
This accusation comes amid other espionage-related charges involving UK nationals and German citizens alleged to have provided sensitive information to China. The UK’s Foreign Office has not commented on the matter, while China has dismissed all espionage allegations as “malicious slander.”