Chinese authorities announced today Friday that they had recently discovered an “espionage case” for the benefit of the US Central Intelligence Agency, the CIA, involving a Chinese national surnamed Zeng – neither his gender nor his first name were specified. /her–, who gave her “critical classified information” for a monetary fee.

“After a thorough investigation, the state security agency collect evidence for espionage activity [του/της] and, as required by law, took coercive measures against that person in order to repair the damage in a timely manner,” the state security ministry said in a press release published on its website.

He did not reveal any details about the measures against Zheng.
In the announcement it is clarified that this person, 52 years old, who worked for a company in the military-industrial sector, was sent by the company to Italy for studies, where he acquired a friendly relationship with a CIA agent with the code name “Seth”. [σ.σ. δεν δίνεται κανένα άλλο στοιχείο, πάντως το όνομα είναι ανδρικό]stationed at the American Embassy in Rome.

The agent convinced Zeng to give “sensitive information to China’s military” in exchange for a “huge monetary reward” as well as help to get him and his family settled in the US, according to the ministry.

This person reportedly signed a “contract” with the American side and underwent training before returning home to engage in espionage.

The case is already attracting huge attention to China. It is among the most read and commented on issues on the social networking site Weibo since the morning.

The amendment of the legislation surrounding espionage in China has scared several American companies with activities in the Chinese market, as relations between the world’s two largest economies have continued to deteriorate in recent years.

Under the changes, “supporting espionage services and their agents” as well as obtaining without permission “documents, data, materials and items related to security and national interests” can lead to espionage charges.

The changes “raise legitimate concerns about some ordinary commercial activities, as some of them may be seen as espionage,” Craig Allen, the president of the US-China Business Council, said in a recent op-ed.

“Confidence in the Chinese market will be further eroded if the law is applied frequently and without a clear, close and direct link to activities universally considered to constitute espionage,” Mr Allen added.