China has complained that some of its citizens are being offered external jobs by espionage agencies disguised as honest outsourcing agencies. The government of China singled out photography and research as among the tasks that the espionage agents are paying for.
China, through its various security bodies, has discovered that some foreign espionage agencies are hiring unsuspecting Chinese to act as spies. Such individuals take the tasks they accept seriously because they appear genuine, whether it is photography or research.
Targets of Espionage Agencies
Often, such espionage agencies target exhibitions likely to attract people with sensitive information. Sometimes they also target exhibitions held in security-sensitive areas. High on the list of targeted meetings are military functions and technology-related exhibitions.
The Ministry of State Security (MSS) says that the information unsuspecting Chinese citizens gather for the espionage agencies includes photographs of military assets and their measurements. The hired individuals are sometimes encouraged to use high-resolution lenses for the spy jobs. The lenses can clearly capture sensitive printed information that the espionage agencies or their principals can use to assess how modern or powerful China’s military assets are.
Such information from a combat or other military asset can be dangerous in the hands of foreign espionage agents. Through WeChat, China’s largest online communication platform, the MSS cautioned the public to be alert, lest they be recruited to commit treasonous acts of espionage.
Often, when a country behaves in ways that others did not anticipate, they become curious. For instance, China has not been very vocal on the US-Iran war, although its measured actions leave no doubt about what the Xi Jinping regime thinks of different behaviors.
Nevertheless, some foreign governments may wish to know what capability China has, in case it decides to join the war; hence the use of espionage agencies.