"Handsome and Pretty Foreigners Could Be Spies"…China Issues Unexpected Warning to Students

"Beware of Foreign Spy Agents"
"You Could Fall into a 'Romance Trap'"

Chinese authorities have warned students to "beware of handsome male and beautiful female foreign spies."

On the 4th (local time), according to AFP, China's counterintelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security, urged students with access to sensitive information through its WeChat account, a Chinese social networking service (SNS), to be cautious of "handsome men" or "beautiful women" who may be spies for foreign forces.

[Image source=Pixabay]

The Ministry of State Security stated, "Foreign spies possess countless disguises and can even change their gender." It added that foreign intelligence agencies use "romance traps" to lure Chinese students, explaining, "Foreign spies use job advertisements and even online dating to entice young students who have access to sensitive scientific research materials to force them to hand over confidential information."

It further explained, "They disguise themselves as 'handsome men' or 'beautiful women' to trap young students in 'romance traps,'" and said that spies infiltrate by posing as university scholars, scientific researchers, or consultants, targeting financially struggling students.

However, it did not disclose which countries are deploying such espionage tactics. Earlier last month, China's Ministry of State Security warned foreign spies as "wolves in sheep's clothing," cautioning, "Beware of those pretending to be good Samaritans." In June, it also announced, "The British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) was involved in a major espionage case recruiting a couple of officials from China's central government agencies."

These moves by Chinese authorities are also analyzed as a countermeasure to announcements from Europe, including the UK and Germany, about uncovering Chinese spies.

AFP reported, "Under President Xi Jinping, China's most powerful and authoritative leader in decades, China has intensified warnings that foreign forces are trying to prevent China's rise," adding, "China and Western powers have long accused each other of espionage activities, but only recently have they begun to disclose specific details of individual spy cases."