CHINA INDICATES MAN EXECUTED FOR SPYING HAD SOLD SECRETS TO US
April 17, 2024: China indicated for the first time on April 15, 2024 that a man executed for spying in 2016 had sold secrets to the United States. In a video posted on April 15 in a campaign to promote China's success in combating foreign espionage, state broadcaster CCTV confirmed that Huang Yu had been executed in May 2016, a month after his conviction and death sentence were announced. At the time, China had given no details of the country Huang was accused of assisting. In the video on April 15, an announcer also made no explicit mention of the country, but images were shown of an American flag and the U.S. Capitol building. The United States Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. CCTV said the Sichuan man had handed over secrets, including details on China's military communications, to a foreign government. Previously, China has said he had been paid US$700,000 (S$952,000) by his foreign handlers, before being arrested in 2011. The video was part of a campaign in China's state media to heighten awareness of what Beijing sees as the threat from foreign spies and to celebrate China's counter-espionage successes. A coordinated run of stories and videos was released ahead of a day dedicated to promote national security awareness and citizen vigilance established under President Xi Jinping nine years ago. (Source: REUTERS, 15/04/2024)
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