China asks public servants to resist 'seductive beauty of spies' in massive honeytrap warning

China on Thursday said it foiled three spying plots, including one in which a government official was luredinto a honeytrap put in motion by what it described as a “seductive beauty”. The nation ordered its employees to be vigilant against such ploys by foreign threats. China's security ministry said in a communique that foreign spies are increasingly becoming active in infiltratingthe nation and stealing secrets. It further claimed that public officials were their targets. It, however, refrained from naming any countrythat is behind such plots.

The ministry flagged a lack of belief and a weakened sense of discipline in officials who choose or are forced to divulge Chinese state secrets.

"Individual officials have caused the damaging effects of leaking secrets due to a lack of belief, a weakened sense of discipline, and a loosened awareness of rules... harming national security and interests," the ministry said.

Honeytrap in China

The Chinese ministry illustrated its concern with the case of an employee, surnamed Li, who fell victim to a “meticulously designed honeytrap” as he was travelling abroad for work. It said Li was unable to resist the seductive beauty of an intelligence agent of another country. He was blackmailed with "intimate photos".

"Unable to resist the seductive beauty of the foreign intelligence agent," Li was then blackmailed with "intimate photos" and forced to hand over official documents once back in China, it said.

Li was sentenced to five years in prison for spying against China, the statement said.

Another case involved a municipal cadre called Hou, who secretly photographed confidential documents and sold them to foreign spy agencies to recover lost savings from a gambling addiction. He also also punished.

In a third case, the ministry said, a young official lost his job because he shared confidential information with a relative who sent the information to spy agencies abroad.