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China's security service has accused British intelligence services of using a foreigner to spy in the country, highlighting rising tensions between Beijing and Western countries over espionage.
The Ministry of State Security said on Monday that Britain's MI6 intelligence agency had ordered the head of a foreign consulting firm to enter China several times since 2015 to collect intelligence and help recruit employees.
The suspected spy, surnamed Huang, comes from a “third country,” the statement said.
The Financial Times was unable to independently verify the ministry's claims. The British Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The MSS has made a series of allegations against Western intelligence services amid rising geopolitical tensions. In the past, China's powerful spy agency rarely discussed such cases publicly, but since establishing a presence on the social media platform WeChat last year, it has made them increasingly public.
Beijing has also cracked down on foreign consulting and due diligence firms operating in China over the past year amid concerns that international companies sharing sensitive information with clients could pose a threat to national security.
Companies such as Bain & Company, Mintz Group and Capvision have been the targets of raids and investigations that have raised fears among investors and businesspeople about their personal safety while operating in China.
The FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice have also published recent cases of suspected Chinese espionage by Chinese nationals and American citizens, including military personnel and former intelligence officers.
The Financial Times reported last month that an MSS office listed a far-right Belgian politician as an intelligence officer for more than three years.
The case highlighted how Beijing conducts influence operations abroad to shape policy in its favor, including on issues such as the crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong and the persecution of Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
It also underlined concerns about the EU's vulnerability to Chinese espionage efforts as relations between Brussels and Beijing become increasingly tense.
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Last year, the chairman of Britain's Intelligence and Security Committee warned of “increasingly sophisticated” Chinese espionage operations and described Britain's response as “wholly inadequate.”
A parliamentary researcher was arrested last year on suspicion of spying for Beijing, an issue Prime Minister Rishi Sunak raised with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang at the G20 summit in New Delhi in September.
However, Western authorities have also been accused of exercising undue suspicion towards people of Chinese origin or with personal ties to China.
Separately, the MSS released an animated series on Sunday promoting its counterintelligence efforts. According to state media, the series tells the “magical story” of Chinese security officials outsmarting foreign spies.