Chinese authorities have detained an individual, identified only as Huang, accused of collecting state secrets for the United Kingdom’s MI6 intelligence agency. This arrest, announced by China’s Ministry of State Security on their WeChat social media account, involves a citizen of a third nation and has added fuel to the ongoing spy disputes between China and Western countries.
Huang, who was in charge of an overseas consulting agency, is alleged to have established an “intelligence cooperative relationship” with MI6 in 2015. According to Chinese authorities, MI6 instructed Huang to enter China multiple times using their public identity as a cover to gather intelligence related to China for British espionage efforts. The Chinese statement also claims that MI6 provided Huang with professional intelligence training in Britain and elsewhere, along with special espionage equipment for intelligence gathering.
The specifics of the intelligence Huang allegedly gathered have not been disclosed, nor have the details of when or where they were detained. The statement from the Chinese security agency highlights that after a thorough investigation, “evidence of Huang’s involvement in espionage activities” was found, leading to criminal coercive measures against them. The consulting agency Huang was affiliated with has not been publicly identified by the Chinese government.
This incident occurs amid broader concerns about the opaque nature of China’s definition of state secrets. The country’s political and legal system does not clearly define what constitutes a state secret, leading to several investigations of consulting and advisory firms for obtaining and sharing data, which are typically part of public records, with foreign entities.
The UK Foreign Office, in response to these allegations, has maintained a stance of neither confirming nor denying issues related to intelligence matters. This recent claim by China is part of a series of heated exchanges between the two nations over espionage accusations. The British government has previously accused Chinese spies of targeting its officials in politics, defence, and business as part of an elaborate spying operation to access secrets. In contrast, China has dismissed these allegations as groundless, urging the UK to cease what it terms as disinformation and political manipulation against China.