Chinese spy agency warns youth about falling for good looks

Attractive partners could be honeypots aiming to lure youngsters into spying, the Ministry of State Security has warned

China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), the country’s main agency responsible for foreign intelligence and counter-espionage, has issued a warning to young people that “handsome boys and pretty girls” they meet could be honeypots aiming to lure them into spying for foreign countries.

The agency published the warning on its official WeChat account on Wednesday and addressed it to young students, in particular those with access to highly sensitive or confidential information or classified research data. The ministry warned them not to be seduced by good looks, which could be a trap set by “overseas spy intelligence agencies.” It claimed that such entities often target young Chinese students, “disguising themselves as close friends and confidants” who try to “win over, lure, and coerce” them into a false “love trap.”

The ministry also claimed some foreign intelligence agencies “provide high-paying part-time jobs” for students, often using vague language to fish for information in the name of market research or academic exchanges. In these cases, the agents are usually disguised as academics, researchers or consultants, the ministry warned, who “exploit the curiosity and willingness of young people to try new things.”

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The ministry did not provide specific names of foreign agencies who have targeted students in the manner mentioned above, but China is known to exchange accusations of espionage with the US and the UK.

The ministry’s latest warning comes on the heels of a scandal in New York, where Governor Kathy Hochul’s former deputy chief of staff, Linda Sun, has been charged with acting as an undisclosed agent for the Chinese government. In June this year, Beijing announced it had arrested two of its own nationals on suspicion of aiding British foreign intelligence agency MI6.

The agency’s account went live in August last year, following the expansion of China’s counter-espionage law. It gave the country’s authorities broader powers to root out spies. The ministry has since published many warnings similar to the one on Wednesday, aiming to popularize counterintelligence measures among the Chinese public.