Aug. 11 (UPI) — China’s Ministry of State Security on Friday it has arrested one of its defense workers on charges of spying for the CIA.
The agency identified the suspect as 52-year-old Zeng Moumou, a staff member in its military-industrial group who had access to “important confidential information.”
Authorities said Zeng had worked for several contractors and had contact with Italy, a NATO ally.
Chinese authorities said Zeng signed an espionage agreement with the United States and accepted the assessment and training. After returning to China, authorities accused Zeng of continuing to meet with CIA personnel while providing a large amount of core information and collecting espionage funds.
“When Zeng was sent by his unit to study in Italy, Seth, an official of the U.S. embassy in Italy, took the initiative to get acquainted with Zeng,” the ministry said. “Since then, he has gradually developed a close relationship through activities such as dinner parties, outings, and watching operas.
“Zeng gradually became psychologically dependent on Seth, and Seth took advantage of this to instill Western values into Zeng.”
The announcement comes after the Justice Department announced last week that it arrested a U.S. Navy sailor on espionage charges. Prosecutor said that Jinchao Wei, 22, a petty officer second class, passed blueprints, ship locations, armaments details, and photos to a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for money.
