Official arrested in China on charges of being US spy
A senior Chinese intelligence official has been arrested on charges of passing on sensitive information to U.S. intelligence agencies, a case that has been kept under wraps for several months by both countries, according to news reports.
The accused official, who was reportedly the private secretary to the vice minister in China's State Security ministry, handed over "political, economic and strategic intelligence" to the United States for several years, according to Hong Kong media reports.
Hong Kong-based Oriental Daily has quoted the monthly New Way as stating on May 25 that the official was trapped into an extramarital affair by the CIA and photographed for blackmailing and providing sensitive information to the US, the reports alleged.
If proved, it could be China's worst known breach of state intelligence since the 1985 defection of Chinese intelligence official Yu Qiangsheng to the US. It could add to the tension in China-US relations following two high-profile cases.
In March, rising political star Bo Xilai was sacked as Communist party chief in the city of Chongqing, after his police chief fled to the US consulate in the city of Chengdu in neighbouring Sichuan province.
Last month, blind activist Chen Guangcheng left for a new life in New York, after he caused a diplomatic crisis by escaping from house arrest and seeking refuge in the US embassy in Beijing.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declined to comment on the reports, according to BBC.
The official is reported to have been arrested sometime between January and March on allegations that for several years he had been passing information about China's overseas espionage activities to the US, local media and Reuters reported.
China's foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment faxed by Reuters on Friday.
A CIA spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment by The Hill on the details of the case or its possible fallout on bilateral relations.
News of the arrest comes as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is conducting a multi-nation diplomatic mission through the Pacific region, as part of the Pentagon's efforts to begin implementing the White House's new national security strategy.
Source: China News.Net
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