Intelligence agencies have issued a warning that Chinese agents are posing as HR recruiters and consultants to trick Western government and military personnel into disclosing state secrets. The Five Eyes alliance, comprised of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand say Chinese spies advertise fake analyst jobs on platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed and Upwork, then try to persuade applicants to share classified or privileged information in interviews or trial reports.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the UK condemned the warning, describing the accusations as "purely false" and "malicious slander".
China’s supporters have pointed out that the American NSA and British GCHQ intelligence services also collect data online, as do social media and tech giants.
The BBC’s security correspondent Frank Gardner tells us more about the extent of Beijing’s espionage and what strategic advantage the government of Xi Jinping is trying to achieve.
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00:00 Introduction
00:36 China’s fake job spy scheme
01:26 What sets this operation apart
03:00 China responds to spying allegations
03:37 Why is China spying on the West?
04:21 Gaining an edge in the AI race
05:40 China, the US and Taiwan
06:06 Western spying on China
08:02 Preserving diplomacy in spite of spying