The News
China’s top spy agency warned college students to be wary of “handsome men and beautiful women” who might lure them into spying for foreign entities. The WeChat notice posted Wednesday said that international intelligence operatives could take advantage of young people’s “willingness to try new things,” Reuters reported, and might offer them internships or work opportunities in exchange for access to classified and sensitive research.
The move is part of Beijing’s larger anti-espionage campaign that has intensified under Xi Jinping’s leadership. Chinese citizens are trained to monitor and report suspicious activity, according to The Economist’s Drum Tower podcast. Beijing doesn’t need a KGB-like force to counter espionage because its own “version of a surveillance state is right there: hiding in plain sight.”