🍎 🍕 Less apples, more pizza 🤔 Have you seen Buffett’s portfolio recently?Explore for Free

China's state secrets leak prompts rare death sentence for ex-employee

Published 11/06/2024, 12:02 AM
Updated 11/06/2024, 04:30 AM

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A former employee working for one of China's state agencies has been given a rare death sentence for leaking "state secrets," the Ministry of State Security said on Wednesday, after he was accused of handing over his USB drive to foreign spy agencies.

The case underscores China's intense crackdown on espionage activities and highlights escalating tension between China and other countries on national security issues.

A man surnamed Zhang provided a "large number of top-secret and confidential state secrets to foreign spy intelligence agencies, seriously endangering China's national security", the ministry posted on messaging application WeChat.

It did not reveal his full name or his previous job position. Reuters was unable to contact Zhang for comment.

Zhang was once "a core confidential personnel of a state agency" and was exposed to a large number of state secrets at work, the ministry said.

After leaving his job, Zhang became an "important target for foreign spy intelligence agencies to win over and subvert".

"Zhang, who was weak in character and could not resist the temptation of money, became a 'puppet' controlled and used by the other party," the ministry said.

Zhang travelled outside of China to meet with a foreign spy surnamed Li who forced him to sign a cooperation agreement. Li seized Zhang's USB work flash drive and personal belongings, the ministry said.

After receiving training from the foreign spy agency, Zhang became "a secret-stealing black hand controlled and used by the foreign intelligence agency".

Chinese lawmakers passed a wide-ranging update to Beijing's anti-espionage legislation in April, banning the transfer of any information related to national security and broadening the definition of spying.

In a separate case earlier this year, a Beijing court handed Australian writer Yang Hengjun a suspended death sentence on espionage charges in February, a decision the Australian government described as "harrowing".

A suspended death sentence in China gives the accused a two-year reprieve from being executed, after which it is automatically converted to life imprisonment, or more rarely, fixed-term imprisonment. The individual remains in prison throughout.

In Zhang's case there was no mention of a suspended death sentence.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.