A month after the revelation of 2 Chinese spies in London – which Beijing denies – and the recent mysterious death of a former British Royal Navy marine accused of being a Hong Kong spy, a new British-Chinese spy thriller is ongoing.

In a post on its official WeChat channel, China’s Ministry of State Security revealed that the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service MI6 they recruited as spies a Chinese couple government officials – Mr. Wang and his wife surnamed Zhou.

Both worked in “confidential” sections of the Chinese civil service and – through their positions – gave confidential information in Britain.

How they recruited the Chinese

According to the Chinese ministry, MI6 officers approached Mr Wang when he went to the UK to study in 2015as part of a Sino-UK exchange programme.

In fact, they met and became friends friends in campus under the guise that they were “graduates”.

British agents were particularly interested in the Chinese official: they made sure to learn about him, inviting him to dinners and tours to “better understand his interests and weaknesses,” the Chinese ministry claimed.

Chinese authorities allege that MI6 operatives took advantage of the “Mr. Wang’s strong desire for money».

After a period of time, when they judged that “conditions were ripe”, the British agents asked him to provide “paid consultancy services” to the British government with in return better pay and security service, China’s Ministry of State Security claimed.

Through Mr Wang, MI6 agents also recruited Ms Zhou to spy for China, the Chinese ministry added.

There has been no comment from the British government.

With information from the BBC