Key facts
- Five Eyes alliance warns of aggressive Chinese espionage using online platforms.
- China's military intelligence services are targeting government, military, and defense personnel.
- Spies use professional networking sites and recruitment services to pressure targets for classified information.
- Recruits could be paid hundreds to thousands of dollars for reports.
- Beijing denies the allegations, calling them fabricated.
Security agencies from the Five Eyes alliance, including the U.S. and Britain, issued a joint warning about Chinese spies aggressively using online job platforms to recruit individuals with access to sensitive information. The bulletin states that China's military intelligence services are employing a wide array of professional networking sites and online recruitment services to target personnel within government, the military, and other sectors, particularly those specializing in defense, foreign affairs, and intelligence, including those stationed in the Indo-Pacific region. Journalists, think tank employees, and individuals with peripheral access to government data are also at risk. The spies pressure successful candidates to provide confidential information for unspecified clients associated with the Chinese government, offering payment ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per report, with higher compensation for more sensitive data. Beijing has repeatedly rejected such espionage claims, labeling them as 'pure fabrication and malicious slander.' This joint bulletin is described as unprecedented, although individual countries have issued similar warnings in the past. The U.S. has previously warned about Chinese intelligence using deception, and Britain's MI5 cautioned lawmakers about Chinese agents attempting to spy on parliament. The warning marks one of the clearest public statements the 'Five Eyes' intelligence partners have ever made about an active, ongoing foreign intelligence operation targeting everyday job seekers.