Chinese Ministry of State Security

 
As China's National Security Education Day looms,MKsports the Ministry of State Security (MSS) launched a special video feature series on major national security cases, starting with one titled "overseas returnee who applied for a job with ulterior motives."

The episode reveals the case of a student surnamed Hao, who, under the direction of a foreign espionage agency, infiltrated critical and sensitive positions in China and remained undercover for an extended period. Hao was later convicted of espionage and sentenced to life imprisonment, with lifelong deprivation of political rights.

China's national security authorities have recently uncovered a major espionage case involving a foreign spy who had long been embedded in a core and sensitive government institution, according to a video posted on the WeChat account of the MSS. 

The spy, identified by the surname Hao, was a Chinese student who had studied overseas. During his time abroad, Hao was recruited by a foreign intelligence agency. Acting on their instructions, he later returned to China and successfully gained employment in a central government department, targeting a position of strategic importance.

This case details how Hao's path to espionage began innocently enough. While pursuing his PhD, he was preparing to attend an international academic conference and visited a foreign embassy to apply for a visa. Embassy staff told him his application needed additional review, the video showed. 

Shortly afterward, a man identifying himself as T—an official at the embassy—called Hao and invited him for an in-person meeting to "discuss the visa issue." In reality, T was an officer working for that country's intelligence service, stationed at the embassy, according to the video. 

Knowing he had found a promising target, T asked Hao about his academic background, research interests, and future job plans. T offered to help with the visa process and suggested they become friends. Flattered and unaware of the true motive, Hao agreed and exchanged contact information.

From that moment on, Hao had unwittingly stepped into a carefully orchestrated trap set by the foreign intelligence agency—one that would eventually lead him down a path of espionage, according to the video. 

The case serves as a stark warning that foreign intelligence agencies have long set their sights on Chinese students studying abroad. These agencies often exploit the visa application process to identify and approach individuals they deem potentially valuable. Intelligence officers, posing as visa officials, are particularly deceptive and manipulative when dealing with young students who lack real-world experience, the MSS said. 

After establishing contact, the foreign agent known as T gradually deepened his relationship with Hao through a series of tactics—treating him to meals, offering gifts, and expressing concern about Hao's financial burdens while studying abroad. T then offered Hao a part-time job. Under this pretense, Hao was invited to a "job interview," where he was rewarded handsomely for submitting two academic papers, which further solidified his trust in T, according to the video. 

Months later, T introduced Hao to his "colleague," L, just as Hao was about to graduate. L eventually revealed his true identity as a spy and formally recruited Hao, thus establishing a clandestine intelligence relationship, the video said. 

National security authorities have confirmed that tactics such as wining and dining, offering travel opportunities, gift-giving, and providing part-time jobs are commonly used by foreign intelligence agencies to cultivate relationships with Chinese students abroad. Once the relationship becomes close enough, and the timing is deemed right, recruitment efforts begin in earnest, according to the MSS. 

After returning to China, Hao followed the foreign agency's instructions and sought employment at a research institute affiliated with a central government ministry—one of China's key classified institutions. While working there, he met secretly with foreign agents multiple times, passing along classified information in exchange for espionage payments, the video showed. 

The MSS also warned that foreign intelligence agencies and their proxies continuously target China's most sensitive institutions, aggressively attempting to penetrate and steal critical intelligence. These actions pose a serious threat to national security and core interests.

Under the direction of the foreign intelligence agency and driven by a desire to gain more classified information, Hao was eventually seconded to a central government ministry to work on a highly confidential project. In doing so, he became a deeply embedded spy within one of China's most critical departments, according to the video. 

According to investigations, the intelligence Hao provided to the foreign agency involved sensitive projects from the central ministry, internal personnel details, five items classified as confidential State secrets, two items as secret State secrets, and 14 pieces of intelligence as defined under Article 111 of China's Criminal Law, the MSS said. 

Hao was ultimately convicted of espionage and sentenced to life imprisonment, with lifelong deprivation of political rights.