How a Chinese spy used a European senator as intelligence asset for three years
Image represents a Chinese spy (Representative image)
Chinese spies reportedly used a right-wing Belgian politician as an intelligence asset for three years, the Financial Times reported earlier this week, highlighting China’s widespread influence operations overseas.
According to the report, Frank Creyelman, a former Belgian senator, was contacted by Daniel Woo, an officer in China’s Ministry of State Security to unduly influence discussions in Europe concerning Europe and Europe’s relations with the US and UK.
Woo also asked Creyelman to convince some lawmakers in the European parliament to speak in favour of China over some issues.
“Our purpose is to divide the US-European relationship,” Woo wrote in a text message to Creyelman.
The relationship between the Chinese agent and his asset in Europe was revealed in secret documents obtained by the Financial Times, Der Spiegel and Le Monde from a western security agency.
Espionage efforts by China
The episode highlights continued efforts by the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) to engage in intelligence operations on foreign soil, spanning Canberra, Ottawa, London and even Washington DC.
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The Western nations have repeatedly warned against such covert operations.
“The MSS has spent decades trying to shape politics and global discourse on China. Recruiting and manipulating academics, policymakers, business leaders and, as this case shows, even politicians is part of that,” Alex Joske, a consultant at McGrathNicol and the author of Spies and Lies, was quoted as saying by the Financial Times.
What tasks were given by Woo to Creyelman?
As per the report, Woo once entrusted Creyelman with “attacking Adrian Zenz”, a researcher who helped reveal how China detained hundreds of thousands of the mainly Muslim Uyghur minority in its far-western region of Xinjiang.
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On one occasion, he asked the former Belgian senator to disrupt a conference on Taiwan.
Modus Operandi
According to one CIA officer, cited by the FT, these Chinese agents especially focus on low-ranking officials having contacts with senior politicians.
“These lower-ranking politicians have established access to senior officials, regularly discuss with them sensitive topics and then, wittingly or unwittingly, share with the MSS what they have gleaned,” said the former CIA officer.
It was still unclear how the Chinese agent managed to hire Creyelman, the FT report said.
However, experts noted that Europe had become a soft target of such covert and secret Chinese operations as “the consequences of being caught in Europe were less severe than in the US”.
(With inputs from agencies)