appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Bloomberg

The US and its “Five Eyes” intelligence partners issued what they said was an unprecedented joint notice warning about attempts by Chinese spies to use websites such as LinkedIn to recruit assets.
“China’s military intelligence services are using an increasingly wide array of professional networking sites and online job platforms to target Five Eyes government and military personnel – and anyone with access to classified or privileged information,” according to a joint statement by the FBI, Britain’s MI5 security service and the domestic intelligence agencies of Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
“These actors use an aggressive online recruitment strategy whereby intelligence officers or their affiliates pose as employees of private consultancies, think tanks or human resources firms, and place online job advertisements for foreign policy and defence analysts,” the agencies said.
The warning illustrates continued concern about Chinese spying among the US and its allies despite efforts by the countries to improve ties with Beijing in recent months.
US President Donald Trump met Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing last month and Britain’s top diplomat, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, has visited the country this week.


“China’s military intelligence services ultimately seek to acquire privileged military, political and economic intelligence that can provide China with a strategic and tactical advantage over the Five Eyes,” according to the notice.
China was targeting Five Eyes nationals with security clearance, particularly those working in foreign affairs, security and intelligence, and military personnel including people stationed in the Asia-Pacific region, it said.
People with more peripheral access to government information, such as academics, journalists and think tank employees, were also being approached.
The Five Eyes, which has its roots in US-UK cooperation during World War II, is one of the world’s most comprehensive spying alliances. The five anglophone nations give special access to each other’s intelligence and share information on security threats.
According to the agencies, Chinese spies have commissioned reports to be written by those they have approached, paying them anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, with payments sometimes made in cryptocurrency.
“Military members may be asked about their roles and unit activities, home base or naval vessel,” the notice said.
“Five Eyes agencies have identified individuals who have undertaken these activities, leading to criminal prosecutions, job losses and security-clearance revocation.”
In a statement, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London ⁠condemned the alliance’s ⁠move on Thursday, saying the allegation of a so-called “Chinese espionage threat” is “entirely fabricated and constitutes malicious slander”.
Although there have been similar ‌warnings from individual countries in the past, the joint bulletin was described as unprecedented.
The US has previously warned about Chinese intelligence using deception to target current and former US government employees, while Britain’s MI5 security service last November cautioned lawmakers about Chinese agents trying to spy on parliament.
Additional reporting by Reuters


Patriot dedicated to Hong Kong: business heavyweights remember Tung Chee-hwa

Why a Chinese farmer’s reunion with a US teacher moved me to tears

A man who built bridges over walls: SCMP’s Tammy Tam on Tung Chee-hwa

US weighs delaying Taiwan arms sales until after Apec and G20 summits

US-China relations

US and ‘Five Eyes’ allies warn of LinkedIn China spying threat

The warning about recruitment via LinkedIn illustrates continued concern about Chinese spying among the US and its allies despite efforts by the countries to improve ties with Beijing in recent months. Photo illustration: Reuters

Norway arrests Chinese national for alleged spying

Norwegian intelligence services regularly single out China and Russia as the main risks to Norway. Photo: Shutterstock 

German court jails US military contractor in China spy case

A US Air Force officer salutes the flag at Camp Simba, Manda Bay, Kenya, in 2019. Photo: US Air Force/AP

Maximilian Krah, candidate for Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the European elections, speaks at a campaign event in May 2024. Photo: AFP

2 Chinese in France suspected of spying from Airbnb are under investigation

The flags of France and China. On Thursday, two Chinese nationals were placed under formal investigation in France. Photo: Reuters

MI5 warns Chinese spies are targeting UK lawmakers on LinkedIn

Britain’s domestic intelligence agency warns MPs of Chinese spies using LinkedIn and recruiters to target UK politicians. Photo: Shutterstock

Shirly Shen, co-founder of InternshipUnion. Photo: Handout

Amanda Qiu, BP-YR Executive Search CEO. Photo: Handout

The Chinese national flag is raised at the Chinese embassy in London. MI5 warned that Chinese spies were using LinkedIn to target UK politicians, posing an espionage risk for Westminster. Photo: AP

News

World

United States & Canada

The FBI, MI5 and other agencies say Chinese spies are using such sites to recruit people with access to classified information


The FBI, MI5 and other agencies say Chinese spies are using such sites to recruit people with access to classified information.


US and ‘Five Eyes’ allies warn of LinkedIn China spying threat

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The FBI, MI5 and other agencies say Chinese spies are using such sites to recruit people with access to classified information

The FBI, MI5 and other agencies say Chinese spies are using such sites to recruit people with access to classified information