Edition:
HIGHLIGHTS
Donald Trump’s China policy
NEW
US-China relationsHong Kong economy
News
Hong KongChinaEconomyAsiaWorldSportThis Week in AsiaUS Elections
Business & Tech
BusinessTech
Opinion
Latest
Lifestyle
LifestylePeople & CultureStylePostMagK-popOutdoorCooking
More +
VideoTalking PostSCMP FilmsInfographicsPicturesPodcastsSCMP SeriesExplainedSCMP SpotlightNewslettersSpecial Reports
Topics
Donald Trump’s China policyUS-China relationsHong Kong’s Article 23 national security lawChina’s militaryChina's economic recoveryTrending in ChinaTaiwanChina’s Communist PartyUkraine warWellness
Focus
Greater Bay Area
Advertisement
avatar image
TOPIC

Espionage

Espionage
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Espionage. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Recommended For You

Trending in China

Chinese woman is disabled in car crash, lover disappears after pledging support

A Chinese woman who was left a paraplegic due to a car crash caused primarily by her boyfriend is heartbroken after the man left her despite pledging his support. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Travel & Leisure

Where to visit in Italy’s beautiful ‘Little Finland’ of 300 lakes

Lake Molveno, on the shores of Molveno village, in Italy’s Trentino province, has been voted Italy’s most beautiful lake several times, most recently in 2024 Photo: Getty Images

China Economy

Chinese brain drain ‘great loss’ for US, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says

videocam
Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s co-founder and CEO, at a news conference in Taipei in May. Photo: AFP

Diplomacy

China looks to Africa as testing ground for global roll-out of yuan

videocam
China is seeking to expand the yuan’s international use and break the dominance of the US dollar. Photo: Shutterstock

Trending in China

Ex-top China student gets low exam score, parents kick him out, change door code

A former top student from China who got a low score in a key national exam was kicked out of his home by his parents who changed the door passcode. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Baidu
FBI Director Kash Patel testifies during a congressional hearing on May 8, 2025. Photo: AP
US-China relations

US-China spy wars intensify under Trump 2.0 as tech competition heats up

Both sides boosting espionage and counter-espionage efforts, increasingly publicise spy arrests and covert operations.

videocam
4
Ukraine war

Ex-US Army officer shared classified Ukraine war details on dating site

videocam
The Philippines

No more Alice Guos? Philippine lawmaker seeks new law against fake citizenship

videocam
Ukraine war

Ukraine detains Chinese father-son duo suspected of spying

The Chinese nationals are accused of attempting to smuggle secret documents on Ukraine’s Neptune missile system to China, further straining Kyiv-Beijing relations.

Ukraine’s security service said on Wednesday it had detained two Chinese nationals who tried to smuggle navy missile technology out of the war-torn country. Photo: Shutterstock
United States

US targets North Korean fake IT worker scheme with China and Russia links

The ‘workers’ were given false American identities so they could hold remote jobs with US firms and generate money for Kim Jong-un’s regime.

videocam
Italy

Chinese man fights US extradition in Italy, claims mistaken identity in Covid hack

Xu Zewei faces US charges for allegedly attempting to hack a Covid-19 vaccine project, but asserts his innocence, citing a stolen phone and common surname.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
US-China relations

2 Chinese arrested in US for espionage for allegedly spying on naval base

Yuance Chen and Liren Lai are accused of photographing a naval base and seeking to recruit members of the US Navy as intelligence assets.

12
Yuance Chen (second from left) was photographed on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in January 2025, the criminal complaint says. Photo: US District Court for the Northern District of California
Science

Family of China-born neuroscientist Jane Wu files death-related civil complaint

Court filing accuses Northwestern University of discriminating and isolating actions that became a ‘decisive factor’ in her fatal decision.

videocam
16
Crime

US announces arrest, charges in North Korean tech worker deception plot

North Korean workers used compromised identities of more than 80 US citizens to obtain remote jobs at US companies.

The Philippines

From mayor to ‘usurper’: Philippine court rules Alice Guo is a Chinese citizen

The former Bamban mayor is now in detention, facing Pogos-linked charges of human trafficking, money laundering and corruption.

videocam
Former Bamban mayor Alice Guo attending a hearing at the Philippine Senate on September 9, last year. Photo: EPA-EFE
Taiwan

Why Israel’s spy tactics against Iran have sparked fears in Taiwan

Analysts warn that Beijing could adopt similar methods to infiltrate political and defence systems on the island, where espionage cases have surged.

videocam
23
Observers say Beijing could try to replicate Israeli tactics used against Iran to hit Taiwanese infrastructure. Photo: IRCS
South Korea

2 Chinese men arrested in South Korea for using drone to film naval base

A series of similar recent incidents involving Chinese nationals has sparked fears of South Korea’s national security being compromised.

videocam
Russia

Russia jails photographer for 16 years for handing material to US journalist

The harsh sentence comes as Russia has radically expanded its definition of state secrets since the 2022 Ukraine invasion.

Israel-Iran conflict

China warned to watch for threats as Israeli spies in Iran open ‘Pandora’s box’

Having spies disable enemy radars and missile systems is ‘tactic belonging to a new form of warfare’ and a ‘wake-up call’, observer warns.

videocam
34
Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency reportedly used spies and agents to smuggle armed drones and precision weapons into Iran in a prolonged operation, effectively creating a covert drone base within Iranian territory. Photo: Shutterstock
Israel-Iran conflict

CIA says US bombing set Iran’s nuclear programme back for ‘years’

The US spy agency cited new intelligence, in a statement supporting Trump’s claim that the facilities had been completely destroyed.

videocam
4
A satellite overview shows the damaged Fordow Fuel Enrichment Facility near Qom, Iran, on Tuesday. Image: Maxar Technologies via Reuters
US-China relations

‘Peddling fear’: China’s top security agency mocks CIA Chinese informant drive

US spy agency’s ‘clumsy’ effort to recruit Chinese informants is budget-driven stunt in face of Trump cuts, Ministry of State Security says.

videocam
Britain

UK calls China’s power ‘an inescapable fact’, says freezing ties not an option

Chinese attempts to spy on and destabilise Britain have grown, but Beijing remains a vital economic partner, a government audit concludes.

videocam
9
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Ukraine war

Ukraine reveals details of alleged plot to assassinate Zelensky

Polish former soldier, recruited by Russian intelligence, was to kill Zelensky at an airport in Poland, according to Ukrainian intelligence.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky leaving 10 Downing Street in London on Monday. Photo: AFP
Israel-Iran conflict

Iran executes man convicted of being spy for Israel

Majid Mosayebi, accused of seeking to provide ‘sensitive information’ to Mossad spy service, was hanged on Sunday, Iran’s judiciary said.

China-Russia relations

Opinion | In China-Russia relations, power speaks louder than friendship

A leaked Russian memo reportedly calling China a potential threat continues the long and tangled arc of Sino-Russian history.

videocam
China’s Communist Party

China’s state security agency warns of phishing emails sent by foreign spies

In one case a shipbuilding expert at a well-known university received an email with a Trojan program embedded in it, ministry says.

videocam
China’s Ministry of State Security has issued another warning on cybersecurity. Illustration: Reuters
Hong Kong courts

Opinion | Hong Kong an example in balancing national security and people’s rights

Five years on from introduction of security law, the city is showing how the two issues, rather than being in conflict, are interconnected and reinforce each other.

videocam
8
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Britain

UK appoints first woman to head MI6 spy service

Career intelligence officer Blaise Metreweli chosen as next MI6 chief, an appointment the UK prime minister called historic.

US-China relations

Trump seems to reverse course on Chinese students in US, saying he supports them

State Department has announced policy to ‘aggressively revoke’ visas, but president’s remarks suggest a link to trade deal with Beijing.

videocam
13
China-UK relations

UK vows due diligence on Chinese embassy in London amid security concerns

Trump has warned PM Starmer against letting China set up mega-embassy near UK’s key financial centres; plan revived following lobbying by Xi.

9
Royal Mint Court, the site of the proposed new Chinese embassy in London. Photo: EPA-EFE
Middle East

Iran says it obtained sensitive Israeli nuclear documents

The trove of files was so large that Tehran ordered a news blackout until they were transported safely into Iran, state media reported.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran in May. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters
US-China relations

US Senate panel passes Taiwan, mainland China overseas military growth measures

Foreign Relations Committee also backs nomination of Michael DeSombre as assistant US secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.

4
Books and literature

The secret’s out, former CIA director William Burns is writing a memoir

Joe Biden’s Central Intelligence Agency chief is penning a memoir, Diplomat Spy, to be published by Random House, which calls it riveting.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement