In a statement Friday, China’s Ministry of State Security said the suspect, identified by his surname Zeng, worked for an unidentified Chinese military industrial group in a role which gave him access to important classified information. The ministry said Zeng, 52, was sent by his employer to advance his studies in Italy.
China’s Ministry of State Security is a civilian agency that oversees intelligence and counterintelligence both within China and overseas. Its remit has encouraged analogies to a combined CIA and FBI, but is far more secretive about its work – without even a public website describing its activities. But recently, the ministry has taken a higher profile.