Chinese-Belgian national charged with espionage involving microchips

September 13, 2026 by Leave a comment

State Security Service BelgiumA CHINESE-BELGIAN NATIONAL and former senior employee at a now-bankrupt microchip manufacturer remains in custody in Belgium on suspicion of espionage involving semiconductors. The suspect, who worked for BelGaN, is accused of attempting to transfer specialized intellectual property and trade secrets involving gallium nitride semiconductors—a technology critical to next-generation civilian and military devices.

Identified only as H.L., the suspect is a 52-year-old dual Belgian-Chinese national who reportedly held a senior research position at BelGaN, a microchip maker based in Oudenaarde, East Flanders. The company was the last industrial microchip producer in Belgium, specializing in gallium nitride semiconductors. It was overtaken by a consortium of Chinese investors in February 2022 before declaring bankruptcy in July 2024.

H.L. was reportedly arrested by Belgian authorities on May 10 at Zaventem airport in Brussels, as he was preparing to board a flight to Beijing. He faces four charges: espionage, participation in a criminal organization, misuse of company assets, and unlawful disclosure of trade secrets. A second suspect, reportedly former BelGaN CEO Alan Zhou Zhen, remains at large.

Investigators suspect H.L. simultaneously served as a director of Gankool, a company based in China’s Fujian province. Financed by a Chinese investment fund, the company was established a few months after BelGaN’s takeover by a Chinese investment fund. Gankool allegedly produces the same microchip technology as BelGaN. H.L. is accused of illegally transferring BelGaN’s specialized intellectual property and trade secrets to the Chinese firm.

This case highlights a pattern Belgium’s State Security Service explicitly flagged recently, terming it “mirror companies”. The practice refers to cases where Chinese investors acquire promising but underfunded European technology firms. The investors proceed to extract the European firms’ technology and establish a parallel company in China that replicates production at scale—often selling off the original European firm afterward.

► Author: Molly Jones | Date: 13 September 2026 | Permalink

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South Korean court upholds sentence for university professor convicted of espionage

August 28, 2026 by 2 Comments

South Korea Defense Counterintelligence CommandSOUTH KOREA’S SUPREME COURT has upheld a five-year prison sentence for a Chinese university professor convicted of espionage, after prosecutors accused him of conspiring with a Chinese intelligence handler to recruit active-duty South Korean soldiers and obtain military secrets, including details on an American-supplied missile defense system.

The convicted agent, identified only as “Qing”, was reportedly spotted and recruited by an espionage cell, referred to as “Ken Jake”, which was led by Chinese Chief Case Officer Liu Nannan whilst completing his PhD in Taiwan. The cell’s primary focus was the collection of high-value secrets from South Korea and Taiwan, through human intelligence (HUMINT) targeting. Investigators stated that the intelligence “Qing” collected included details on the American THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) mobile missile defense system, US-South Korea joint military exercise plans, Taiwan-related activities, and the location of a South Korean Navy vessel.

“Qing” operated between May 2024 and March 2025, using social media to approach and offer cash payments to soldiers. He also employed espionage equipment—including a camera hidden in a wristwatch—to evade face-to-face meetings while transferring stolen material. “Qing” also made several trips to South Korea’s Jeju Island to establish a dead-drop infrastructure for facilitating physical intelligence exchanges. He also met with individuals he believed were recruited military assets. The spy cell recruited Navy Corporal Jung Da-jung and Choi Hong-jae, a military conscript who reportedly received ₩ 7.1 million (about US $5,100) in exchange for providing military intelligence information. “Qing” also allegedly infiltrated anti-China/pro-Taiwan independence groups and attempted to gain close access to an unnamed female Taiwanese politician.

Following an undercover investigation by the South Korean Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC), Qing was arrested in March 2025 by South Korean authorities while carrying out a dead-drop exchange on Jeju Island. DCC Lead Investigator Bang Tu-Cheol posed as an active-duty military asset and built credibility and trust through feeding fake documents to “Qing”. This eventually led to “Qing” meeting Bang on Jeju Island. The operation uncovered a broader network vulnerability when Chinese intelligence reportedly sent material obtained from Choi to Bang for cross-verification. South Korean investigators identified a technical link to Chinese-language file-sharing infrastructure, which allowed them to connect previously separate espionage cases. This discovery helped expose the wider “Ken Jake” cell.

► Author: Molly Jones | Date: 28 August 2026 | Permalink

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Probe uncovers network of fake websites enticing Westerners to spy for China

August 17, 2026 by 1 Comment

FBIA COUNTERINTELLIGENCE INVESTIGATION INVOLVING five countries has uncovered a network of professionally designed websites offering to hire Western experts as consultants, but which are allegedly part of a Chinese spy operation. Thirteen websites have already been seized by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation in coordination with counterintelligence agencies in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.

According to The Guardian, which reported on the apparent espionage network, these slick artificial intelligence-generated websites purport to belong to US-based international consultancies with convincing names. They advertise lucrative consultancy jobs in areas such as international politics and security, manufacturing, trade, and defense.

One such website illegally appropriated the name, corporate logo, and website content of Horizzen, a legitimate consultancy firm based in Brisbane, Australia. Last year, Horizzen began receiving emails and telephone calls from prospective employees, even though it did not seek to hire international consultants and had no interest in their areas of expertise. The FBI eventually discovered that the fake Horizzen website had been registered in India. Similar websites in the alleged Chinese spy network were found to have been registered in Pakistan and Thailand.

According to The Guardian report, the fake consultancy firms do not reveal their connection with China, pretending instead to be based in a various Western countries. Notably, the recruitment model is not one of immediate request for classified or proprietary information. Instead, the employers gradually entice their targets, initially by offering them large sums of money in return for open-source information. Eventually, however, the recruiters offer even larger sums of money in return for more sensitive—and eventually classified—information. At the same time, the communication between the employer and the target is moved to encrypted messaging platforms.

The primary targets of the alleged spy operation were US citizens, according to the FBI. Roman Rozhavsky, a senior FBI counterintelligence official, said that the fake consultancy network “illustrates the lengths the Chinese government’s intelligence services will go to as they try to use AI-generated content to trick, recruit, or coerce”.

► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 17 August 2026 | Permalink

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Czech businessman detained in China on espionage charges

August 6, 2026 by 1 Comment

Czech embassy Beijing ChinaA CZECH BUSINESSMAN, EMPLOYEE of a Czech radar manufacturer based in China, was detained by Chinese authorities in late June 2026 on suspicion of espionage, it has emerged. According to the Czech news outlet Denik N, which reviewed the relevant diplomatic correspondence, the charges concern “obtaining and passing on information without further specification”. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that the Czech citizen had been apprehended on “endangering national security”. However, neither Beijing nor Prague have officially confirmed or elaborated on the specific charges.

This case underscores ongoing diplomatic tensions between the Czechia and China, following the January 2026 arrest in Prague of Yang Yi-min, a Chinese journalist for Guangming Daily, on charges of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign power. Yang remains in custody. The two detentions have fueled speculation of ‘hostage diplomacy’—a term that refers to the apprehension of foreign nationals as a means of exerting diplomatic leverage during disputes between states. However, the Czech Republic’s Minster of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, Petr Macinka, has publicly denied such speculation.

This case should be seen within the broader context of of Chinese-Czech relations in the post-COVID-19 era. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government, in office since December 2025, has sought to build a more pragmatic relationship with Beijing after years of tension under his predecessor, primarily over Prague’s positions on Taiwan. It is clear that the recent arrests further-complicate his administration’s China strategy.

Meanwhile, the businessman’s fate remains uncertain. China analyst Katerina Prochazkova, of the Sinopsis research initiative, outlined a range of possible outcomes in this case: a prisoner swap involving the Chinese national held in Prague, or a swifter resolution involving due process, consular access, and release without prolonged detention. However, she pointed to a less optimistic scenario—namely a lengthy investigation marked by limited transparency, noting that past cases have involved multi-year detentions before resolution.

The Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies, Tomio Okamura, visited Beijing last month, with the aim of bolstering tourism and economic ties between the two countries. Reports circulated of a liaison between Okamura and Chinese authorities on a potential prisoner swap. However, as one Czech-China analyst noted, Okamura holds no formal foreign-policy authority and any intervention on his part would be at most an informal gesture.

► Author: Molly Jones | Date: 06 August 2026 | Permalink

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China is now sending missiles to Iran, according to US intelligence agencies

April 13, 2026 by 11 Comments

MANPAD missileTHERE IS MOUNTING EVIDENCE to suggest that the government of China may be supplying missiles to the Iranian armed forces, according to American intelligence agencies. Combined with prior reports about alleged Russian intelligence assistance to Iran, these latest indicators may demonstrate that China and Russia are aiding the Iranian military in a systematic and coordinated fashion in order to contribute to an American strategic defeat in the Middle East.

On Saturday, the US-based international television network CNN cited “three people familiar with recent intelligence assessment” in reporting that China was preparing to deliver to Iran several shipments of shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems, known as MANPADs. These missile systems are highly prized in both low- and high-intensity conflicts because they give individual soldiers a cheap, portable way to destroy multimillion-dollar aircraft. Their low cost and ease of concealment allow ambush-style attacks that are difficult to detect, forcing enemy pilots to fly higher or avoid certain areas. Thus, if utilized appropriately, MANPAD weapons can effectively strip an opponent of their low-altitude air superiority.

Later on Saturday, a report in The New York Times claimed that United States intelligence agencies have obtained evidence that China may have already sent at least one shipment of MANPADs to Iran. The paper noted that the intelligence collected is “not definitive” and that there is no evidence to suggest that the Iranians have received the shipment of missiles from China, or that they have deployed these weapons on the battlefield.

If it is verified, however, the intelligence may indicate that the Chinese are abandoning their traditional reluctance to supply Iran with finished or fully assembled weapons systems—especially for use against the United States armed forces. In the past, China has used a number of state-controlled export companies to supply Iran with fuel, chemicals and hardware components that can, under certain circumstances, be used to aid Iran’s military effort.

If China were to begin to systematically supply Iran with missiles and other weapons systems, it could significantly alter the course of the ongoing conflict between the Islamic Republic and the United States-Israeli alliance. Much of the course of this war depends on the ability of each side to maintain its supply of weapons—especially offensive and defensive missiles, or other interceptor ammunition.

► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 13 April 2026 | Permalink

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France arrests alleged Chinese spies living in small village—four arrests so far

February 11, 2026 by 7 Comments

France GirondeFOUR MEN HAVE BEEN arrested in France on suspicion of spying for China using a system of parabolic antennas and computers installed at a rented property in the French countryside. The men were arrested last Saturday and Sunday by the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), which focuses on counterterrorism and counterespionage.

Two of the arrests took place on-site at a property in Camblanes-et-Meynac, a picturesque village located around 10 miles from Bordeaux in south-western France’s Gironde region. The property had reportedly been rented through the rental broker application Airbnb by two Chinese nationals who arrived in France in January. They are believed to have entered the country using work visas as engineers for a wireless telecommunications firm.

After settling in Camblanes-et-Meynac, the men erected a large parabolic antenna system in the garden of the rented property. The move reportedly alarmed locals, who noticed that their own Internet service experienced disruptions following the erection of the parabolic antenna system by the Chinese nationals. A local family proceeded to alert local authorities about the antenna.

According to reports the DGSI arrested two Chinese nationals aged 27 and 29, while also seizing a substantial quantity of computer and satellite equipment that was found on the property. Two other men reportedly “of Chinese origin” but based in France, were also arrested over the weekend. They were charged with providing assistance to the two residents of the Airbnb property by illegally importing the satellite equipment installed on the property. Their identities have not been released by the authorities.

The French prosecutor’s office stated that the suspects were engaged in efforts to “capture satellite data from the Starlink [mobile broadband] network”. They were also allegedly trying to intercept communications data from “vital entities” in the military realm and “retransmit them to their country of origin”, namely China, according to the statement. They are now in custody facing charges of “delivering information to a foreign power […] likely to damage the interests” of France—a standard phraseology used in the French legal code to describe foreign espionage.

France’s Gironde region has long been an epicenter of espionage by international actors due to its proximity to a growing number of facilities and restricted sites related to critical telecommunication, aerospace, and defense industries. Several small towns and villages in the area are in proximity to the industrial core of France’s defense, space and aeronautics operations.

► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 11 February 2026 | Permalink

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Leaked counterintelligence document reveals Russian concerns about Chinese spying

June 9, 2025 by 6 Comments

FSB RussiaA LEAKED REPORT AUTHORED by Russia’s primary counterintelligence agency reveals deep concern in national security circles about the intensity of Chinese spying against Russian interests, according to The New York Times. The paper said last week that the leaked report, which was produced by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) between 2023 and 2024, offers “the most detailed behind-the-scenes view” of Russia’s counterintelligence concerns about China.

Following the death of Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, the two communist countries became sworn enemies and nearly went to all-out war against each other. But in recent years Moscow and Beijing put aside their differences, prompted by their mutual desire to challenge the geopolitical supremacy of the United States and bring about a multipolar world. Since 2022, when Moscow resumed its military invasion of Ukraine, Beijing has stood firmly by the Kremlin. China has become the largest importer of Russian energy and has provided the Russian military with much-needed advanced technology. The relationship between the two neighboring nations appears to be deeper than ever before.

But according to a recently leaked report, Russia’s national security establishment is deeply concerned about Chinese efforts to dominate its ally by spying against it. The eight-page report outlines “ENTENTE-4”, a counterintelligence program run by the 7th Service of the FSB’s Department for Counterintelligence Operations. The department is known by its Russian acronym, DKRO. The DKRO’s 7th Service is tasked with counterintelligence planning and operations against Asian countries, with China being its primary target.

According to The Times, the DKRO produced the report sometime between 2023 and 2024. The document appears to have been intended for distribution to the FSB’s field offices across Russia. It was acquired by ARES Leaks, a cyber criminal syndicate, which posted images of the document on the Telegram messenger application. The paper said it shared the leaked document with “six Western intelligence agencies”, all of which assessed it to be genuine. Read more of this post

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Taiwan jails soldiers guarding president’s office for spying for China

March 31, 2025 by 2 Comments

China and TaiwanFOUR TAIWANESE SOLDIERS WITH access to “extremely sensitive” secrets have received jail sentences for spying for Chinese intelligence, as Taiwanese authorities have warned of a sharp rise in Chinese espionage cases. Three of the soldiers had been detailed to the security of the Office of the President, while the fourth soldier was a member of staff at the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense’s Information and Telecommunications Command.

According to the prosecution, the soldiers made use of their personal mobile phones to photograph “internal military information” they had access to. They then shared the photographs with their Chinese intelligence handlers. In return for their services, their handlers compensated the soldiers by paying them between $7,000 and $20,000 each. The espionage arrangement between the soldiers and their handlers lasted between 2002 to 2024, the court heard.

No information was shared during the open-door portion of the court case about the type of information that the four soldiers were accused of having shared with their Chinese handlers. But the prosecution alleged that the digital photographs given to the Chinese contained information that the four alleged spies had acquired while working in “extremely sensitive and important units” of the Taiwanese military. At the conclusion of the court case, the court sentenced the soldiers to between 70 and 84 months in prison for violating Taiwan’s national security law. In sentencing the accused, the judge said they had engaged in acts that “betrayed the country and endangered national security”.

Meanwhile, the Taiwanese National Security Bureau announced late last week that the number of people who were prosecuted for involvement in Chinese espionage in 2024 broke all recent records for the second year in a row. Specifically, there were 10 prosecutions for Chinese espionage in 2022, 48 in 2023, and 64 in 2024. Many of those caught spying for China were either active or former members of the Taiwanese military. These individuals were deliberately targeted by Chinese intelligence officers because they had knowledge of Taiwanese military secrets, the National Security Bureau said.

► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 31 March 2025 | Permalink

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Review of “Chinese Espionage Operations and Tactics” (Second Edition)

February 19, 2025 by 2 Comments

Chinese Espionage Operations and TacticsMUCH HAS HAPPENED IN the West and in China since Nick Eftimiades first published Chinese Espionage Operations in 1994. It was the first in-depth study of Chinese espionage operations, which for decades had been overshadowed by Soviet intelligence and their espionage operations.

Throughout much of the latter part of the 20th  century, United States and other Western security services viewed Chinese intelligence and security services as being focused on their own internal security matters. They were not nearly as well-known or recognized as other adversarial intelligence and security services.  Nick was one of first experts to shine a light on Chinese intelligence operations. Since that time, he has dedicated his career and untold time and efforts to better understand Chinese intelligence tactics and techniques.

In the second edition of the book, Nick provides a comprehensive analysis and assessment on how the espionage and intelligence threat from China has grown significantly over the past three decades. He explains this in very clear and unambiguous terms to anyone who seeks a better understanding of these threats. This book is a culmination of more 30 years of dedicated research and the analysis of hundreds of cases that involve China. It focuses, not only on traditional espionage cases and operations, but examines motives, techniques and tactics relating to economic espionage, the theft of trade secrets and the theft of academic research and development.

There are a number of detailed case studies and real-life examples in the book, which show it is not only Chinese government organizations that pose a significant threat to United States and Western interests, but also a multitude of actors —e.g., academia, business people and researchers, with access to universities, commercial entities and think tanks. Chinese intelligence operatives conduct activities in all these areas in order to help China fulfill its strategic information and technology requirements and objectives. Nick examines China’s Whole of Society approach to a number of recent traditional and non-traditional collection efforts.

Chinese Espionage Operations and Tactics is an absolute must-read for individuals who handle national security matters; for state and local officials who are engaged in discussions with Chinese officials; for American and other Western businesses who are, or who will be, doing business with Chinese counterparts; for those in academia and research institutes involved with technology research and development, and finally for those who seek a better understanding of the threats posed by China’s growing and expanding worldwide presence and intelligence apparatus.

► Author: John N. Wanat* | Date: 19 February 2025 | Permalink

  • John N. Wanat retired as Assistant Director for Investigations, Office of Export Enforcement, Bureau of Industry and Security, Department of Commerce.

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White House holds emergency meeting with telecoms over ‘massive’ Chinese breach

November 25, 2024 by 1 Comment

VerizonTHE WHITE HOUSE HELD an emergency meeting on Friday with senior telecommunications industry officials to discuss the fallout from a Chinese cyber espionage operation described as “massive” by experts. The existence of the operation was revealed last month by Microsoft engineers, who claimed that it was orchestrated by Salt Typhoon, a Chinese government-linked hacker group.

On Thursday, following a briefing provided by intelligence officials, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), who chairs the United States Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence, referred to the Chinese breach as “far and away the most serious telecom hack in [American] history”. Warner added that the volume of data the Chinese hackers were able to collect on “important American officials” was alarming, but that the extent of the intrusion was significantly broader than initially thought and compromised the privacy of telephone users across the United States.

According to reports, the breach affected a host of American telecommunications service providers (TSPs), including the three largest —T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T. The initial breach compromised the system employed by the TSPs to facilitate communications interception requests by government agencies following the issuance of court warrants. Eventually, however, the hackers were eventually able to exploit antiquated software and hardware in the United States’ national telecommunications network in order to target a wide array of users.

The extent of the damage caused by the breach remains unknown, as very little about it has been shared by the White House or the telecommunications industry. Nevertheless, it appears that the hackers selected telephone service users with senior current or former posts in government, including President-Elect Donald Trump. The hackers were reportedly able to access the metadata, and even content, of all unencrypted telephone calls and text messages to and from these users.

Friday’s meeting at the White House was reportedly convened by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and co-led by Anne Neuberger, who is serving as Deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber and Emerging Technology. The names of telecommunications industry executives that attended the closed-door meeting were not provided to the media.

► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 25 November 2024 | Permalink

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US government wants to ban Chinese-made smart cars over espionage, sabotage fears

September 23, 2024 by 3 Comments

Chinese car industryTHE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT of Commerce is proposing new regulations that seek to ban the sale of Chinese-made cars in the United States, over concerns that they could be used for espionage or sabotage. Several reports on the proposal noted that it was hurriedly introduced last week as a “national security action,” rather than a trade-related dispute between the US and China.

American government officials said that the new proposals come out of lengthy investigations into the software and technical specifications of Chinese cars. The investigations raised concern about “[c]ertain technologies originating from the [People’s Republic of China] or Russia” that are often found in Chinese-made cars. Such technologies include vehicle cameras, microphones, tracking devices, and several software packages that connect the cars to the world wide web.

Washington is concerned that these devices, and the software that runs them, could be used to collect the personal data of users, or to facilitate espionage activities on a large scale. Concerns have also been raised by US officials that Chinese-made smart cars could be remotely manipulated and used for sabotage during wartime. According to the US Department of Commerce, a central source could potentially “take control of all [the Chinese-made] vehicles operating in the US all at the same time, causing crashes, block[ed] roads, etc.”

When asked by reporters to justify the proposed regulations, Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser, replied that the US had “already seen ample evidence of the [People’s Republic of China] pre-positioning malware on our critical infrastructure for the purpose of disruption and sabotage. And with potentially millions of vehicles on the road, each with 10- to 15-year lifespans, the risk of disruption and sabotage increases dramatically”.

► Author: Ian Allen | Date: 23 September 2024 | Permalink

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Profile of Tang Yuanjun, alleged asset for Chinese intelligence 2018-2023

September 5, 2024 by 1 Comment

Yuanjun TangTANG YUANJUN WAS ARRESTED by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in August 2024. He allegedly worked as a Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) asset between 2018 and 2023. He reported on the following categories of information that were of interest to the MSS:

  • Prominent U.S.-based Chinese democracy activists and dissidents.
  • US Chinese-American Member of Congress Xiong Yan, from New York.
  • Immigration claims from dissidents wanting to leave China for the US.

According to the US Department of Justice (DoJ), Tang expressed his desire to see his aging family in China. A prominent dissident such as Tang would not be able to travel to China without being arrested, unless his travel had been approved by authorities. An acquaintance helped him establish secure online contact with the MSS. After being recruited, Tang reported to the MSS using an email account, encrypted chats, text messages and audio and video calls. Tang helped the MSS infiltrate a group chat on WhatsApp; used by numerous People’s Republic of China (PRC) dissidents and pro-democracy activists to communicate about pro-democracy issues and express criticism of the PRC government. In fact, this was what users called a “super group”. It is a group that consists of many other groups. Members could not even identify who was the sponsor of the group chats [1].

In addition, Tang reportedly video-recorded a June 2020 Zoom discussion commemorating the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in the PRC. The Zoom online discussion was led by Zhou Fengsuo, Director of the June 4th Memorial Museum in New York City and a leading advocate for democracy in China. The Ministry of Public Security also infiltrated these discussions with the assistance of Zoom China and US based employees [2].

Tang was Secretary General of the overseas headquarters of the China Democratic Party United Headquarters in New York City. This non-profit organization assists mainland Chinese dissidents in immigration and asylum applications for the US. Tang allegedly provided information on these individuals to the MSS [3]. Tang also allegedly identified ten immigration attorneys to support MSS efforts to place assets in the US. Other dissident organizations in New York and Los Angeles provide similar visa application services to generate income.

In 2022, reportedly Tang met with the MSS in Changchun City, Jilin Province, China, where an officer installed a software on Tang’s phone which Tang believed to be a “bug” that caused all photographs and videos captured on the phone to be transmitted to the MSS. In his role as leading democracy advocate Tang encouraged dissidents to attend protests in Manhattan and Washington DC. He used the compromised phone to take photographs of the events. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) then used the photographs as evidence against overseas dissidents. Read more of this post

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U.S. Pentagon ran secret COVID-19 anti-vaccination campaign to undermine China

June 17, 2024 by 1 Comment

Coronavirus COVID-19THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT of Defense ran a secret psychological operation on multiple social media platforms, aimed at undermining Chinese-manufactured vaccines against COVID-19. The controversial campaign was met with objections by several U.S. government officials, but continued for over a year, spanning both the Trump and Biden administrations.

According to the Reuters news agency, which uncovered the alleged plot, the psychological operation initially targeted the Philippines in the spring of 2020. During that time, the Southeast Asian nation relied heavily on the CoronaVac, also known as the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, which was manufactured by the Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech. The CoronaVac vaccine was approved for human consumption by the World Health Organization.

An investigation by Reuters determined that the U.S. Pentagon attempted to undermine the efficacy of the Chinese-manufactured vaccine, in order to sabotage the relations between China and the Philippines. Over time, the Pentagon project morphed into an anti-vax campaign that questioned the quality of Chinese-produced coronavirus test kits and Chinese-supplied face masks. There was also an attempt to stigmatize Chinese-produced medical supplies relating to COVID-19. The campaign argued that the coronavirus had originated in China, which made Chinese-manufactured medical supplies suspect.

The psychological operation utilized hundreds of fake social media accounts on multiple platforms, which were unified under the hashtag #Chinaangvirus —Tagalog for “China is the virus.” By early 2021, the campaign had expanded to the Middle East and Central Asia. Some social media posts claimed that Muslims should not be using the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine because it contained pork gelatin and should thus be considered forbidden under Islamic law. These tactics raised objections by some U.S. government officials, notably from the State Department, who expressed them in meetings with Pentagon personnel. The secret campaign was terminated in June of 2021.

The Reuters news agency spoke to Greg Treverton, former chairman of the U.S. National Intelligence Council, which ensures that the work of the nation’s intelligence agencies reflect the government’s policy priorities. Treverton told the news agency that getting “as much vaccine in people’s arms as possible” would have been in the national interest of the U.S., adding that the Pentagon’s secret operation “crosses a line”. Reuters said that a senior Pentagon official acknowledged a secret psychological operation was indeed launched, in order to “disparage China’s vaccine in the developing world.” However, the official “declined to provide details” of the operation.

► Author: Ian Allen | Date: 17 June 2024 | Permalink

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China accuses married couple of spying for Britain’s MI6

June 3, 2024 by 2 Comments

MSS China - IATHE SPY CONFLICT BETWEEN China and the United Kingdom escalated last week, as the Chinese government accused a married couple of carrying out espionage missions on behalf of British intelligence. In a rare statement to the press, China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) said it was investigating the activities of a husband-and-wife team, whom it accused of working as assets for Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, better known as MI6.

According to the MSS statement, the husband, whose last name is Wang, participated in a student exchange program in the United Kingdom in 2015. While there, he was surreptitiously accosted by MI6 and was invited to dinners and other outings. Eventually Wang was offered part-time employment as a consultant for a British firm that operated as a front for MI6. He was eventually approached by MI6 directly and was recruited as a spy in exchange for substantial monetary rewards.

Wang was allegedly trained in espionage tradecraft and returned to China to collect intelligence on the Chinese government on behalf of MI6. The MSS claims that Wang’s MI6 handlers asked him to recruit his wife, whose last name is Zhou, as a spy. Eventually both Wang and Zhou spied for MI6 in return for money. It is not known whether the alleged spies worked for the MSS or another intelligence-related government agency.

The MSS press statement was issued a few days after the agency unveiled a seemingly unconnected case of espionage involving “a former government employee who was lured by a foreign intelligence agency through the internet” and “stole secrets for money”. The MSS also said that the man’s handler, named Xiao Jing, had been arrested and charged with operating as “a spy working for a foreign intelligence agency”.

► Author: Ian Allen | Date: 03 June 2024 | Permalink

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Tradecraft observations on the Reichenbach/Fischer espionage case

May 3, 2024 by 3 Comments

Germany ReichstagSEVERAL CASES OF CHINESE espionage have been announced recently in Europe. Thomas Reichenbach and Herwig and Ina Fischer —a married couple— were arrested on April 22, 2024, for illegal exports of dual use technology with military (naval) applications.

Reichenbach lists himself as a contract marketing manager for the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. He studied at Peking University in the mid-1980s. He worked in China, speaks Mandarin, and has a Chinese wife.

Herwig and Ina Fischer own a small engineering consulting company named Innovative Dragon in Duesseldorf. Both have travelled extensively in China. Innovative Dragon contracts for technical research with universities. Herwig studied mechanical engineering and aircraft and spacecraft construction at the Rhine-Westphalia Higher Technical School, focusing on guidance technology and composite fiber materials. The company headquarters are in London and there are offices in Duesseldorf and Shanghai (Donghua University Science and Technology Park). The London office does not appear to have a functioning telephone number.

Reichenbach is suspected of having been recruited by the Ministry of State Security (MSS) in China. The German government has accused the trio of having illegally exported dual use technology since at least 2022. At the time of the arrests, the suspects were in negotiations on additional research projects useful for expanding the combat strength of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy.

Status: Alleged

Tradecraft observations:

  1. Use of a potential front company in London to facilitate allegedly illegal exports.
  2. Use of third countries to facilitate allegedly illegal exports.
  3. Reichenbach allegedly recruited Herwig and Ina Fischer and handled them as in-country assets.
  4. It is alleged that the MSS probably recruited Reichenbach in China.
  5. An MSS officer allegedly handled Reichenbach from China (linear control).
  6. The MSS allegedly funded the operation through front companies.

► Author: Nicholas Eftimiades* | Date: 03 May 2024 | Permalink

* Nicholas Eftimiades is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. He retired from a 34-year government career that included employment in the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of State, and the Defense Intelligence Agency. He held appointments on the Department of Defense’s Defense Science Board and the Economic Security Subcommittee of the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Advisory Council. He is an advisor to the United States Intelligence Community. Eftimiades authored numerous works on China’s espionage methods. His books, Chinese Intelligence Operations (1994) and Chinese Espionage: Operations and Tactics (2020) are examinations of the structure, operations, and methodology of China’s intelligence services. They are widely regarded as seminal works in the field.

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